Lietuviškai

 So, you just got interested in your roots or already started to do the research on them? Hopefully these suggestions from my personal experience will ease your hard work.

First of all you should get a binder or a folder for the organization of your records and some paper to write on. Start with yourself: write down all the information when and where you were born, baptized (when, in which church, who were your godparents), if went to army-dates and where; marriage date(s) and place(s), etc.in other words-anything that you know. Then pass on to your parents and grandparents. You should get more info by questioning them in person, e.g. taking an interview. Also you should look around your house or ask your relatives, maybe someone has some documents or other useful information for genealogy, for example:

*birth records;

*children books (where is written down more interesting facts, pictures);

*if someone was adopted-adoption papers;

*marriage documents, invitations;

*divorce documents;

*death records, announcements;

*school books, graduation papers;

*religious documents (baptism, first communion, etc.);

*work papers (social security, pension papers);

*miscelaneous papers (letters, diaries, notebooks, pictures...);

*family history, bible books with the family member names, passports;

*any handmade articles, jewelry, furniture-who’s done them;

*health checkup records.

It would be advisable to have the relationship chart. I don’t know if there is one in languages other than English but I put one together in English - retaltionship chart. In your binder try to separate relatives by families. Now there are many different programs to help with that (and different costs).

Try to interview as many relatives as it is possible, don’t forget old family friends. Ask around-maybe someone is already doing the same project as you are and you should work together. I found these questions helpful for the interview. Just remember- you need more maiden (unmarried) last names of the females that married although don’t forget to write down these too because of the different endings. Have your questions ready ahead, have them written on the paper and leave some space between them for the answers or write answers on different sheet of paper. Of course, it would be easier and faster to record your interviews with the tape recorder or videocamera. But make sure you ask interviewed person if it would be O.K. when you decide on the interview date because many people, especially older ones, don’t feel comfortable in front of camera. You want them to feel as comfortable as possible. Try to take an interview in calm and comfortable for both of you surrounding, it might be helpful to bring some snacks and soft drinks. Most important that you and the other person would feel comfortable and relaxed because sometimes you could hear some interesting stories about some of your relatives. Also, don’t start giving questions one right after other, give enough time to remember. Don’t be settled with the order of your question- some of them might be connected. If person is remembering something other than what is in your question, let him/her continue. At the end don’t forget to thank them for the time and memories.

When you’re done collecting all possible information from your relatives then you can start looking at archives, churches and cemeteries. Remember that if you find different last names in the same gravesite there is a chance that these people are related. About archives... For your dissapointment regional archives mostly have documents only beginning World War II, all the early ones are transfered to the central archives in Vilnius. If you don’t live near this city try to contact the relatives who live near Vilnius for help or , grabing all your collected information in your binder, go there yourself and spend there a day or two (if it’s possible).

• Remember- don’t believe blindly even one document because even in goverment papers you can find mistakes in the dates, names and places. It might be useful to write down when, where and which documents you looked through and made copies. Try to get copies of the original documents, not of the rewritten ones because there might be some extra info in them.

So, I hope that these advise will help you in the long and hard but interesting path of digging into your family roots.

The best of luck!

 

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