| When it comes to genealogy video, a single word | | | | A single word - the answer to a simple question - |
| can make a world of difference. A single word | | | | can also help uncover a personality that you may |
| can be like a compass direction, or the | | | | be featuring as part of your genealogy video. |
| combination to a safe. The right word and the | | | | What about their favorite song? Knowing the |
| right combination of circumstances can start a | | | | answer to that might reveal the subject's lighter |
| journey, unlock a world. Because like all genealogy, | | | | side and help locate them in the culture of their |
| genealogy video is a quest and a quest whose | | | | time. Maybe you can find it and download it! |
| goal is often obscured. | | | | Sometimes a particular song can help define a |
| So, what do we mean by "one word can unlock a | | | | person - the Paul Anka song "My Way" speaks to |
| world"? | | | | more than one person who forged their own path |
| Take a simple example. Let's say that you are | | | | in life. |
| researching your grandmother for a genealogy | | | | That word might be a number too. Let's say that |
| video you have in mind. Let's say you find out | | | | one word is the number of children born to a |
| Grandmother's maiden name. That will help you | | | | grandmother. Children mean cousins. And cousins |
| track down a whole bunch of ancestors through, | | | | can be your best friends when it comes to your |
| say, old census records. It can reveal even more. | | | | genealogy video. If you are wondering where all |
| Take the Italian name "Fortunato" - the word | | | | the family photographs went, more than likely |
| means fortunate. It was very common for the | | | | they are they are with one of your cousins. And |
| Catholic clergy to give orphans that name. If you | | | | if you get really lucky, one of your cousins will |
| have a name like that turn up in your searches it | | | | turn out to be a genealogist with a whole trove |
| is likely that you have an orphan. Sadly, it | | | | of information that you can use in your genealogy |
| probably means that you cannot go back any | | | | video. |
| further. | | | | Another head start provided by a single word is |
| One word may be a place on a map. Can you | | | | the name of a passenger vessel. Ocean liners |
| find out the town where your ancestors came | | | | have records, passenger lists, ports of |
| from? Knowing the town may help you discover | | | | embarkation and destination - even personal |
| customs and traditions; history; birth, death and | | | | information about the passengers. From ship lists |
| marriage records; and maybe even distant | | | | you can find out if your ancestors were literate, |
| cousins. It's a great bonus to include footage of | | | | what village they came from, how much money |
| the old family town, and maybe some relatives | | | | they had in their pocket on embarkation, who |
| still living there, in your genealogy video. | | | | they were staying with then they arrived, and |
| It maybe that during your research for your | | | | who they traveled with. |
| genealogy video, you discover a cause of death. | | | | In the military context, that one golden word may |
| With all the recent discoveries in genetic medicine, | | | | be a service number. The military across the |
| the condition which caused an ancestor's death | | | | globe usually keep marvelous records (if you |
| could make an important difference to someone's | | | | ignore that terrible fire in our National Archives in |
| medical diagnosis or even treatment. One word | | | | 1973 that destroyed about 20 million personal |
| about a cause of death could also link a person to | | | | records - especially Army personnel discharged |
| a specific time and place - Spanish Flu in 1919? An | | | | between 1912 and 1960). So if your genealogy |
| industrial accident perhaps? More than one death | | | | video will include service personnel, a word may |
| was connected to dust inhalation during the Great | | | | unlock the government's vault. |
| Depression. | | | | |