Doing Family History? Go to an Archive

'If it's not on Google, it doesn't exist.' While many of us love to sit in front of our computers and try Google keyword after Google keyword to find what we want, if we really want to dig deep into our family's past, we'll eventually have to go to an archive and look at real records.

While archive hours are not always convenient and the records relevant to you may not be nearby, there are definite limits to what you can find online. This is improving each year, but don't expect it to all be on your screen any time soon. Most archives have budgetary restrictions that prevent then from describing everything in their collections, let alone posting it online. This means it could be years before the precise record you need shows up in a search engine database.

Despite the obvious benefit of going to an archive: that you might find a record about your family history, there are other pluses to going in. By visiting the place where records are housed you will learn a lot about what types of records are out there and how they're organized or described. For instance, you may discover that an archival finding aid for a church register mentions that it contains lists of parishioners. When you look at that record you may find your great grandfather, whereas no search of Google would turn up the same and no mention of your surname appeared in the finding aid.

Taking the time to visit your archives and learning how they work will help you bridge the gap between a novice and a skilled genealogist. Because there's only so far the internet can take you on your search - for now.

Are your friends secretly genealogy buffs?

You might be surprised to learn a few of your friends are also searching for their family roots. It's not always something that comes up in casual conversation, so next time you're out for a pint with your pals, ask them if they've ever dappled in genealogy. If you're lucky enough to find someone who has, they might have had a similar problem to one you're currently facing.
Or, they might have some great ideas of where else to look, how to display your results, or programs and websites that can come in handy. There's nothing like the experience of someone you can trust to teach you new tricks.

The genealogical world is bigger than you might think.

Crowdsource your Family History: Post it Online

You might be surprised how many long lost relatives you have out there that are also researching your family's history. And they'd likely be surprised to hear that you are too. Rather than duplicate each other's efforts, post what you have online and advertise to others to join the cause. It's a good way to fill in gaps, to network with relatives around the world and to get someone else to do some of the work for you.

Where should you put it?

There are many options; many genealogical websites have forums where you can post questions or information. This may be a good way to get in touch with other interested researchers, but it's not likely enough to get all your information in one place where everyone can work together. For that, you'll likely need to start up a website. This generally costs about $10 per month, depending on your service plan and there are plenty of web developers out there who can get you set up with a simple site that you can add to yourself.

It might take a bit of leg-work, but you may be surprised how much extra help starts coming in once you take the initiative.

There are more website options than I can list here, and more appear every day. To get started, try a search for "website hosting" on your favourite search engine, or check out your favourite genealogy site for their options.

Hiring a Remote Historian to do your Research

If you live far from your ancestral homeland, it can be tempting to hire someone to search an archive on your behalf. Even though any historian worth their salt will charge at least $20 per hour, it may, in fact save you thousands of dollars to hire someone, as opposed to flying to the archive, paying for a place to stay and to feed yourself. This is especially the case if the archive in question is small and remote.

But, before you hire someone, consider the following:

1) Do they have experience with the archive?
Verify that the person has done this before in this exact archive. It takes time and experience with an archive to know what is there, what's not there, and how most efficiently to work at that location. If you're paying someone by the hour, you'll want them to be efficient.

2) Are they overqualified?
Chances are you're not going to get a world famous historian to research your family history for you. And, if you do, ask yourself why. Many professional historians teach, research or write books full time, leaving them with no time to take family history gigs. In the case of university professors, they get paid far more in salary than you'll likely want to shell out. If they do agree to work for you, make sure they aren't trying to use their title or reputation to scam you. You'll likely get higher quality research and more attention from someone who specializes in family history research (for less money) than someone who thinks, 'sure, I'll take this guy's money and charge exorbitantly' and produce little results.

3) Do it right the first time
If you're going to hire someone, make sure they do the WHOLE job. You want them to give you every morsel in that archive so that you or anyone else in the future never has to go back looking there again. It is very difficult to pick up someone else's research without knowing exactly what they've looked at already. If they know the archive contains nothing else, that will save you time and money later.

Hiring someone can be rewarding and save you money, but don't be fooled by fancy titles. Hire someone who does this every day.

Family History: It's your Project, do it your way

When researching your family history you'll find no shortage of advice. My advice to you: take only what you want. There are dozens of ways to undertake the project and the right one is the one that makes you happy. If you aren't interested in cousins or maternal family lines, ignore them. If you are dead-set on exact spelling matches only, go ahead and do it your way. This is your project and you don't have to listen to anyone.

That's not to say you won't make decisions that will lead you to dead ends by refusing advice, or that another way wouldn't have turned up more results. It's just what it is; family history is your own adventure, so don't let anyone take it away from you.

Family History Travel: The Old Man Down the Road

'Every time an old man dies, a library burns'. This old proverb is doubly true for genealogists. Not everything to be found about your family history is online, or in an archive. In many cases, it lies with the old man (or woman) who lives down the road from your ancestral home, who remembers from his youth your great great grandmother. If you're lucky, he might even be willing to sit down and discuss the time he helped her pick her carrots or describe the way she liked to spend her Sunday afternoons.

If you're able, a trip to your ancestral stomping ground might prove more prosperous than you could ever imagine. Carefully research the area before you go, pack an audio recorder, a pen and paper. Then it's a matter of finding the old man - if he exists! Try the post office; they might be able to point you towards some families that have been around the longest. If you do find someone, be polite and sympathetic, especially if you're asking them to take time for you or to discuss a chapter of their lives that may not include the most pleasant memories.

But, don't delay, the old man is getting older. If you have tried this, or try it in the future and want to share your story on this blog, you can do so in the comments. Then others can learn from your experiences. Happy travels

Family History: First Step, Write it Down

The first thing you should do when starting to research your family history is to write down everything you know. Try writing a family tree and see how much you already have. There are lots of great software packages that will help you do this, or you can just use a pen and paper. If you have lots of information for each person, you might consider creating folders for everyone, then using the family tree to see at a glance who you have, before digging deeper into their file.

If you know what you've got it's easy to know where to look next.

Sketches of Your Ancestral Hometown

While not strictly an artifact of your family history, it can be nice to add some context to your story by including an image or photo of the town / village / region where your family once resided. Especially in cases in which you now live far away, or the place has been modernized extensively. Seeing the town as your ancestor may have seen it can give you some insight into their world.

Unfortunately, photography wasn't invented until the 19th century, so you won't find any photos of the cities your more distant relatives lived in. You can, however, almost certainly find a lithograph, or pen drawing of the town, particularly if it was larger than a few buildings. These lithographs are works of art in themselves, often highlighting important buildings in town, monuments, geographical features, or coastlines. A look at one can give you an idea of what it might have been like to live there hundreds of years ago.

But, where to look? You might be able to find one on the internet by doing a Google Image search, but often images found online are low quality. Your best bet is likely at the closest university library. Any university that has a history department will do, and in many cases you won't even need to be a student or alumni to use the library.

What you're looking for is a history book about the region in question. For instance, if your ancestors were from Harwich in the east of England, look for a "History of Harwich" or perhaps a "History of Essex", the county in which Harwich is located. Historians love to include lithographs in their academic books and the versions you find in the book will almost certainly be higher quality than the ones you find online. Most university libraries will allow you to photocopy pages from the book.

Then you can take your new treasure home and gaze upon your ancestral home, just as your ancestors knew it.

Track your Family History with Google Alerts

Every day new material shows up on the internet. Searching for your family name can land you some exciting finds about your ancestors. But, rather than perform the same Google Searches each morning and combing through pages and pages of links for new material, you can sign up for a Google Alert and be automatically notified of new pages. Whenever a match is found, Google will send you an email with a description and link to the page.

This can be particularly effective if you have a less-common surname. (Smith's and Jones', you might find your email box gets too full!).

To set up a Google Alert for your surname follow these steps:

1) Go to http://www.google.com/alerts
2) Type in your family name in the "Search Terms" Box
3) Select "Comprehensive" from the drop down menu
4) Type your email address in the box and click the "Create Alert" button

Now you'll be notified of pages that may help you on your search.

Tips for Buying Family History Artifacts on Ebay

For a family history buff, coming across a listing on Ebay that looks like an item from your family's past can be exciting. Who wouldn't want their Great-Great-Great Uncle William's civil war medal? In a situation like this it's easy to let emotions take over reason as you rush to place an inflated bid, just to ensure no one will win it away from you.

But, before you do, make sure you know what you're buying. Unfortunately, sometimes you don't get what you pay for. In his excitement, my father-in-law paid a ridiculous price for a book he thought was about his family history in 18th century Virginia. Turns out the seller had hastily thrown together an inaccurate description of the book, which was actually about a county in Virginia with a name that closely resembled my father-in-law's family name. Needless to say he was disappointed, and a few hundred dollars poorer.

How can you avoid similar disappointment? Here are a few steps you can take:

1) Contact the Seller.
Ebay allows you to "Ask the Seller A Question" and you should not hesitate to use the service. When you ask your question, be very direct and tell them that you are only interested in the item if the description is accurate and there is a good probability that it relates to your family history.

2) Ask For a Second Opinion.
This doesn't mean hire an appraiser or professional. It means ask a friend or relative to take a look at the item's description. Sometimes in our excitement our minds meld the words into what we want to see, rather than what is actually there. A second opinion can help instill added confidence in your purchase decision.

3) Is it logical?
Sometimes stories are just too good to be true. Ask yourself if it makes sense that the information connected to the item could reasonably be true. For instance, if someone claims to have the bullet that killed your relative in the Civil War, you'd better ask some tough questions about how they know that before you remortgage the house to buy it.

A good seller will be happy to answer your questions and they might even have a few more items lying around the attic that you'd be interested in.