Copyright 1997 Jean R. Legried. Use only with permission. Beginning Genealogy Lesson 6 Bits 'n' Pieces: Finding Your Place in History, Heraldry, Hereditary Societies, Family Associations, Publishing, Foreign Research FINDING YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY This part of doing your family history is often referred to as putting meat on the bare bones of statistics. It's making those names and dates come alive and become people. What impact did your family have upon history and how were their lives affected by the history of the times in which they lived? You must revert your thinking to the era in which they lived, i.e. horse and buggy transportation, no telephones, television, radio, computers (!), and many other "conveniences" that we enjoy today. You must also become familiar with the national and regional history of the times in which they lived. Social customs were much different from what they are now. You might find it helpful to make (they can also be purchased from genealogical publishing houses) a timeline of historical events and then insert your ancestors' births and deaths into the dates. Don't forget to write your own history! This is a very important item to be able to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Here are some things for you to consider: 1) House/Place where I was born. 2) Circumstances surrounding my birth. 3) Tell about my parents, brothers and sisters (include stories about them). 4) Childhood health conditions (diseases, falls, accidents). 5) Playmates and amusements. 6) Religious practices. 7) Economic conditions (times when food and money were scarce). 8) School, teachers, studies. 9) My chores at home. 10) Sports that I took part in. 11) Courtship and marriage. 12) My husband/wife (how we met, why I love him/her) 13) Our children (differences, traits, habits, character, talents, hobbies). 14) Our home(s) (where we lived, why we lived there). 15) Political activity. 16) Good books that I have read and why I consider them good. 17) Recreation (singing, dancing, sports, etc.) 18) How many times I have moved in my lifetime and why. 19) Travel ad vacations. 20) Children. 21) My hopes for the future. Write simply and to the point, like you are talking to someone. Add pictures and remember to include dates. The following is an exercise we did at our local genealogical society meeting to get the members to thinking about writing their personal histories: How to Write YOUR History For 10 minutes write as fast as possible on 1) Yourself 2) List 25 things about yourself 3) What were you doing the day John Kennedy was shot, 22 Nov. 1963? 4) What was your bedroom like as a child? You can write short things about yourself when you have a spare moment, over lunch, at the doctor's office, while waiting for service somewhere. Write as things come to you. Then, as you have more time, you can put it all together into your story. HERALDRY This is a very involved study and one for which there isn't time or space to pursue. Each of the symbols and colors on a coat of arms has a meaning. Heraldry is very old and may date back to Biblical times as symbols for those who couldn't read. Perhaps the most important thing that can be said here about heraldry is that just because you find a coat of arms with your surname on it, it doesn't mean that you have the right to use it. Coats of arms were given to specific families and, unless you can prove your direct descent from that family, you shouldn't use the symbol. Using it without the right is the same as theft. In America there are no laws governing coats of arms but in foreign countries there are. The mail-order places that offer you "Your Coat of Arms" are bogus too. My uncle sent for one several years ago. At the bottom of the sheet is this disclaimer: "This report does not represent individual lineage of the _____ family tree and no genealogical representation is intended or implied." My uncle thought it was ugly because it has snakes on it -- and I agree! HEREDITARY SOCIETIES Perhaps the best known of these is the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Actually, there are quite a number of this type of organization and they fall into several categories: "war" societies, early settler and ship societies, colonial societies, nationality (ethnic) societies, religious societies, and royal and baronial societies. THE SOURCE, edited by Arlene Eakle and Johni Cerny (Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 1982) has a chapter that has a lengthy list. I, personally, belong to The National Society, First Families of Minnesota, a society with members whose ancestors were in Minnesota prior to statehood in 1858. If you believe that you qualify for membership in a hereditary society, you must do your research very carefully and document each generation. Membership in a few is "by invitation only." Some people consider these societies "snobbish." Each of us has to consider why we do genealogy and what membership in a hereditary society means to us. FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS Thousands of these have sprung up in the last 20 years! An association can start with someone publishing a genealogy of the family and then organizing a family reunion and then things just keep growing! Others have been organized for many years. Some associations publish a newsletter and/or a bulletin, but there is always the big yearly family reunion, some lasting two or three or more days. Several bibliographies of family associations have been published. PUBLISHING How are you going to share your research? This question would perhaps been better asked at the beginning of the classes because it should determine how you do your research and how much you are going to do. It is advisable to say to yourself that when I reach such-and-such a point, I will publish the material. If you wait until you are "done", you will never publish! Naming a certain point in your research as a goal is better than naming a certain date to be completed. Date deadlines are hard to meet in genealogy! It is also advisable to take orders (and a deposit) before you publish. That way you won't be stuck with a lot of unsold books. Publishing can be done many ways: 1) Running off a few copies on a copy machine and putting the pages into an inexpensive binder of some sort. I don't really advise this method because paper that goes through a copier usually isn't good quality and won't withstand the years. 2) Have copies made in a print shop and have them professionally soft-bound or hard-bound. Many print shops now have high quality equipment that will give your finished product a very professional look. This could be expensive, however. 3) Find a print shop that specializes in short-runs of genealogy books. This is usually the most economical way to go. It is important that acid-free paper is used so that your work will last. Some people use a three-ring binder for their book. Adding pages is easy using this method but make certain it is a good quality binder. Many publishing companies advertise in the genealogical periodicals. Contact several of them for their prices and methods. Talk to your local printers and ask if they can meet the other companies' prices because it's always better to patronize a hometown business. (I have printed two family genealogies using a print shop that specializes in short-run genealogy printing. All contacts have been via mail and telephone. I have never set foot in the place and I have been very pleased with their work.) FOREIGN RESEARCH It is VERY important that you do all your research in America before you try foreign research. Each country is different. Foreign records aren't well indexed (although they're getting better) and you must have an exact location before you "cross the water." If you don't know that exact location, careful research here can often find it for you, or at least give you some very good clues. It may not be necessary for you to travel to that foreign country either. The Family History Library has a great deal of foreign records and there are several ethnic libraries that offer good research sources. There are books that have been published detailing research methods and materials in foreign countries that can be helpful. Realize, too, that foreign research is more expensive but it's worth the cost when you make that connection! This concludes Lesson 6 and the series. If you have any questions, they can be directed to me at or on the GEN-NEWBIE list. All the lessons are available at: (exclude the quotes) or from Terry Beck Copyright 1997 Jean R. Legried. Use only with permission. Jean R. Legried, CGRS Norwegian-American research specialist from southern Minnesota jrl@smig.net "Life is the rosebud, Eternity the rose."