Genealogy, or the study of your own family history, or that of someone else, is a remarkably interesting hobby or career pursuit.
You might use genealogy to trace your family tree, or to find one single person in that family tree and prove that a link exists. This is often the case today when someone has listened their entire life to a story, telling them that a particular person was part of their family lineage.
In many cases of course the genealogy disproves the theory but in some instances, it tells you that you are in fact related to Sitting Bull or Jesse James, just as your family legend said that you were.
Most of us have heard a legend that in our family tree was a famous personality, an "Indian Princess" (Indian princesses didn't really exist so we can usually discount that particularly legend) or someone else who was of note in history. Hearing the legend or story repeatedly means that we're curious about that person and often eager to verify or validate the link to them.
Genealogy, or tracing back your own family tree gives you the opportunity to do just that. Or to undo it as the case may be. Quite often we're going to find that the person in question was a friend of the family or had some level of interaction in our family tree but didn't really fit in there.
Believe me when I tell you that when you disprove the fact that Sitting Bull was your great uncle twice removed, you're not really going to make friends in your family so you might want to keep that information to yourself unless someone asks you. If by some chance however your genealogy explorations prove that you did have that person as part of your family tree, you're going to find yourself a hero for months to come.
Begin your explorations into your family tree with yourself, no matter how far back you are searching for a link. Its always easiest to start with present day, since we've got so much more information, and work your way backwards.
Using information from your own memory, you're going to get a great deal further in your quest than if you began a century back where the information and records were not so plentiful as they are today.
Start with your own generation, move backward to your parents and then their parents. If you're fortunate, you will have several generations still with you who are willing to help you in your genealogy foray. Grandparents can be a source of some amazing information. They usually remember their own grandparents and sometimes great grandparents, as well as aunts and uncles who may still be living and willing to help.
Genealogy, ideally, is very much a family adventure. Everyone has some input, and will have new information that you can use to help you move backward in time to trace your family tree. Use online and offline resources, but more than anything else, use the vast array of resources that will be available to you in your own family. Both you and they will benefit from the interviews and discussions and your family tree will flesh out far more quickly.
Head on over to Tracing Your Genealogy for more information. Ready to learn the step by step methods that have proven to be effective for others who are new to genealogical research?. Then Click Here to get the facts you need to get started on your family tree.
