Posts Tagged ‘research’
Lake Claremont Press sent me a couple of books to read and review on my website. Finding Your Chicago Irish, by Sharon Shea Bossard was one of these books.
Before I opened this book I thought it would provide a lot of information about Irish genealogy in Chicago. Well, it has a chapter on genealogy, but the book is much more than that. Bossard writes not only about finding your Irish roots, but enjoying and being a part of the Irish culture in Chicago. Her book is described as a GPS of finding your Chicago Irish.
Her book is divided into twelve chapters which aid researchers and non-researchers on their quest of everything Chicago Irish. By exploring the resources and participating in the events Bossard describes, you will learn more about your heritage and the place of the Irish in the city.
- Cinema and Theater
- Music, Dance, and Performance
- Organizations and Clubs
- Education, Language, and Media
- Sports
- Pubs and Restaurants
- March and St. Patrick’s Day
- Events, Festivals, and Tourism
- Shopping
- Canines
- Citizenship and Genealogy
- Recipes
Of special interest to genealogists is the Citizenship and Genealogy chapter. Bossard discusses how to research and submit documentation for dual citizenship. She goes on to briefly explain how to begin genealogical research, where to find records and suggests local resources and various websites such as Ellis Island.
This book is definitely a must have for anyone tracing their Irish Chicago ancestors. I am giving away a copy of this book on March 19. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter to enter the giveaway.
Related articles
- Are you Reading other Genealogy Examiners? (examiner.com)
Today I gave two short presentations for my son’s 5th grade teacher. He teaches two groups of sciences classes. Today I talked about starting genealogy research. Their teacher, Mr. Blair, was very excited after the first presentation and wants to start researching his family! I even caught him looking at Ancestry.com while I gave the 2nd (repeated) presentation to the other science class. That is very exciting for me that he is interested.
The kids in both classes had many great questions about filling out their pedigree chart and family group sheet. They talked about family records they had at home, like a family Bible which contained names of the family members with births and deaths going back to the 1830s! That is a treasure! And the best part…..they all seemed very excited about doing the work.
The kids are now supposed to go home and through Thanksgiving break next week talk to family members and write down the information. There will be an assignment given after the break. I was even asked if I would come back and hear the results of the kids’ research. Of course I said yes!
And if any of the kids from the class are reading this blog – make sure you look at the records on Familysearch.org because those are free records.
Thank you Mr. Blair for giving me the opportunity to come speak today! It is exciting to see young people taking an interest in their family histories.
Related articles
- Kids Genealogy: Where To Begin (examiner.com)
- 2012 Conference Tracking Your Ancestors’ Footsteps (dupagecountygenealogicalsociety.wordpress.com)
- Follow Friday – Genealogy Lists and Message Boards (chicagofamilyhistory.wordpress.com)
At the FGS 2011 conference in Springfield, Illinois, I purchased several books. One was Teaching Genealogy to Young People by Bee Bartron Koons.
This book is amazing. The front section is a teacher’s manual divided into sections by age/grade level so you know exactly where to start with young people. The lessons are short and to the point and increase in complexity as the child grows. The back section is a large appendix full of charts and forms to use with the lessons.
My local genealogical society is look at ways to encourage the younger generation to be involved in family history research. This book has so many wonderful ideas I think it will be very helpful for this project.
Related articles
- FGS2011 – Will Your Genealogy Sink Or Swim? (generationsbiz.com)
I asked my son to write a guest post for me and gave him a few questions to answer. Here is what he had to say.
Why is my family history important to me?
So I can learn how far my family goes back in history.
One interesting thing I learned about my family history is:
My cousin was a Flying Tiger.
If I were interviewing my parents, I would ask these five questions.
1. Did you get expelled?
2. Favorite food
3. Worst grade
4. Favorite teacher
5. Best subject
Other things I want to know about my family history:
1. How many family members served in a war?
2. How many cousins do I have?
3. What is my oldest living family member?
4. Was my family rich?
5. Was my family ever famous?
Yesterday we looked at Home Sources such as Bibles, photographs, military records, and newspaper articles. Today let’s look at other documents that might be around your home.
This is a marriage license for my great grandparents, Joseph Kokoska and Bessie Zajicek. It was issued in Chicago and has their marriage date and location on it. Marriage records are a good source of information. Sometimes they have variations of name spellings which can be helpful when searching for records.
Death certificates are another good source of information. Many list the names of the person’s parents, the person’s birth date and place, death date and place, sometimes an address, spouse’s name and other information. Always keep in mind that you may find a birth date listed on a death certificate that does not match the birth date you found in the family Bible or a birth certificate. In these cases, look for other documents that have the person’s birth date on it to try to figure out which is the correct date.
Mass cards or funeral cards are good sources of information. Some contain birth and death dates and burial location. Others may only contain the death date. Regardless, it is a good source of information.
Now that your family tree or pedigree chart is complete, the next step is the family group sheet. You can download and print that here.
To fill in this sheet, put the names of your parents at the top in the appropriate spaces. Fill in as much of their information as possible.
Below them is a space for children. Add you and your siblings, if you have siblings, to this bottom portion. List the children in birth order.
When this sheet is complete, you can print more sheets and work backwards. The next sheet should be your dad’s parents and list him as one of the children with his siblings. The following sheet should be your mom’s parents and list her as one of the children. Continue working backwards filling in as much information as you can find.
Start with what you know. Download and print the Pedigree or Ancestral Chart from Ancestry.com. The chart starts with one person and works backwards to that person’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on.
This chart is unnumbered so we need to number it. The person on the far left of the page is number 1. This is you. Above and to your right is your father, number 2. Below your father is your mother, number 3. Return to the top of the page and continue numbering down the page starting with number 4. This is your grandfather and below him, number 5 is your grandmother. Men are even numbers, women are odd numbers.
Starting with person number one to the far left of the page we will enter as much information as possible. Write your name here. Write down your birth date and place.
Next, go to person number 2, which is your father. Enter as much information as you can from his full name to the dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Then go on to number three which is your mother. List that information. Then go to Person 4, who is your grandfather. Continue filling in as much of the chart as possible.
Congratulations!! You have just started your family tree!
Looking for a more fun way to create a family tree? Purchase my Ebook Family Tree Projects for Kids at my store. The Ebook is $3.99 and contains two hands-on projects. In the first project kids will create a poster board-sized family tree with pictures. The second project features a more standard family tree that kids can create. This version contains photos to guide kids through the process.
Knowing where we came from and the history of our family gives us roots. It helps us understand why we live where we live, eat what we eat, act the way we do, and have the traditions we do.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to get you thinking about your family history.
- Why do I live where I live? Which part of my family came to this place to settle down? When did they come and why?
- My mom makes special desserts or meals for holidays. Where did those recipes come from? Why does she always make those same recipes year after year?
- Most of us have light colored hair and eyes. Or, most of us have darker colored skin and eyes. What is our background?
- Every year at Christmas my mom places a pickle on the tree and we have to look for it. The child that finds it gets a present. Why do we do this? Where did this tradition come from?
Just starting with a few of those questions will get a child thinking about his roots. The answers will also help the child come to a better understanding of who he is.
Hey kids! Have you heard the terms genealogy, family history and social history but are not quite sure what they mean? No so sure any of that can be exciting because isn’t history “boring”? I hope to show you that it can be exciting and fun.
Genealogy is defined as a study of the family. It identifies ancestors and their information.
Family history is defined as the research of past events relating to a family or families, written in a narrative form.
Social history is defined as the study of the everyday lives of ordinary people.
What does all this mean?
It means that you and your ancestors have stories that should be told. How they should be told is up to you. Are you crafty? Could you make a photo collage or scrapbook? Do you like to write? Could you write a short story about one of your ancestors? Do you draw? Could you sketch out a family tree?
Stop by soon for ways to tell your family’s stories.