Researching Your Family Tree
Have you ever seen your family tree? Perched on your tree's branches are your parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. But, did you know that your family tree also holds people who lived hundreds of years ago? Do you know who they were? Do you know where your family came from?
If you're interested in questions such as these, you are interested in genealogy. That is the study of family history.
Groups That Help
In the 1970s, author Alex Haley traced his family back to Africa. He published a best-selling book called Roots. After the book came out, many other people took an interest in genealogy. The problem was, they had no idea where to start.
Finding family history is often a long process. But many organizations make the work easier. The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is one such organization. Based in New York City, this group helps people dig up information.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society has records of people who lived in New York. The records go back in time, even before the United States was formed. But you don't have to live in New York to get their help. The society helps people from around the world.
The society uses a variety of tools such as church records, books, newspapers, and census records. A census is an official count of people. The United States conducts a census every 10 years.
Tough Search
Bill Schaefer is a man who spent years studying his family's history. He wanted to find out information about an ancestor rumored to have fought in the Civil War. Schaefer searched census records and military records. He wrote letters to faraway libraries, hoping to find the smallest piece of information.
It was tough work. Many records were incomplete. Schaefer often had to use pieces of oral history told by family members. Eventually, however, he learned about a Civil War relative named Edward W. Ferry. Ferry lived in Philadelphia. He fought with a Pennsylvania unit during the war. Schaefer was able to place Ferry at the scene of several important battles.
“When I got his pension records from the National Archives, it said his date of birth was 1829 and that he had red hair and blue eyes, just like my great-grandmother,” Schaefer says.
Time Well Spent
Genealogy is important because it can show you who you are and where you come from. We all have a unique family history. The trick is to find it. Organizations like the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society are available to help. Making discoveries about your ancestry and heritage is an exciting process.