| Tracing your family ancestry has been around for | | | | found to date, during the interview. This |
| many generations. Originally, it was done by the | | | | information may help trigger new stories and |
| matriarch of the family, as she recorded the | | | | additional details that will further enhance your |
| births, marriages and deaths of all of her relatives | | | | understanding of your family's past. Be sure to |
| and close friends. Frequently, these records were | | | | ask for any additional scrapbooks, articles, old |
| kept in the family Bible or a scrapbook. | | | | photographs that you might borrow to study in |
| Fortunately, many of these books have been | | | | more detail. Make sure you put this information in |
| passed down from generation to generation. If | | | | a separate file, carefully marked so that you can |
| you're lucky, you may be in possession of one of | | | | return it to the original owner, exactly as it was |
| those rare books today. When we first start out | | | | provided. |
| researching our genealogy, we frequently start | | | | As soon as possible, after the interview, review |
| with these rare books as our initial source. | | | | the stories, documents, and photographs to try |
| These books provide an excellent source of | | | | and incorporate this information into your family |
| information about our families. In many cases, we | | | | tree research files. Take copies of all of the |
| find not only important facts about our family we | | | | documents and photographs, and clearly mark on |
| also find newspaper clippings, old photographs, | | | | the back of each copy the source of the |
| wedding invitations, and family reunion invitations | | | | document, the date it was obtained, and the |
| to name a few. These items provide us with | | | | condition of the original document. These details |
| important clues and valuable stories that bring our | | | | will be invaluable when you revisit this information, |
| family history to life. Take the time to review | | | | months and even years from now. |
| each of these items to understand and properly | | | | As much as we would like to believe that |
| document them. | | | | genealogy is the discovery of important and |
| Once we have recorded all of the information | | | | influential ancestors, it is in reality, a complex |
| that is contained in these books, we start | | | | process of uncovering and documenting historical |
| interviewing close family members for other | | | | facts and stories. However, as dry as that |
| information that they might have. It is a good idea | | | | sounds, it can also be a very rewarding and |
| to take your family tree charts and notes with | | | | challenging hobby. Knowing that we are |
| you to these interviews. The notes you've made | | | | discovering our family's history and heritage and |
| will help your family visualize the branch of the | | | | putting it into context for future generations |
| family tree that you are tracing. Be sure and | | | | makes this a very worthwhile project that our |
| display all of the source information that you have | | | | family will be able to cherish forever. |