By TCGS Member,
Connie Estep
John Covey taught
the May genealogy class which covered selecting records for your search. The
first step is choosing a category of sources. The two main types are original
sources (examples: birth certificates, city indexes, census) and compiled
sources (examples: published family histories, periodicals). John provided a
four page handout with many examples of original and compiled records. Click here
to download a copy of the handout.
The next decision
is to select the type of record. The handout has a list of different kinds of
information with the types of records to search. From these select specific
records, as you review them, make your notes on a research log.
Reference to
research logs has come up in several of these classes. You can find a sample
log at www.byub.org/ancestors/charts/pdf/researchlog.pdf.
This one may be printed and filled in. There are several plusses to keeping a
log. Most importantly, the log documents the source of the information. If you
do not find the information you searched for in a source it’s a good idea to
record that on your log also. By referring to your research log you can save
valuable time in selecting records you have not looked at before.
Documents have
different kinds of data. Usually a document will give the location of the event
it is documenting. Depending on the event other information may also be on the
document. My birth certificate gives my parents’ names, occupations,
birthplaces, how many children my mother had before me and a reference to how
many previous children of hers had died.
When beginning my
family history search I started with Yakima city directories because a number
of my relatives arrived in Yakima in the early 1900s. This let me gather the
easiest information first. I didn’t keep a log, just made a list of my “hits”.
Later I had to go through them again as I didn’t remember which names I had
searched for unsuccessfully. The second time I took photos of each page with
hits, and made notes of people I searched for unsuccessfully for each
directory.
For me this
provided a great overview, including where family members lived, their jobs
(and often employers), the names of their spouses, and sometimes if they paid
county taxes. Since the directories often included county listings as well, I
could see the ones farming in nearby communities.
The last section
of this class was reference tools; this is a great section to review. Political boundaries can change. A person
born in our area in 1888 would have been an Oregon Territory resident, since
Washington State wasn’t established until the next year. County boundaries can
change as population fills in; Benton County was made from pieces of Yakima and
Klickitat Counties in 1905. Gazetteers can help you find such changes. There
are many other types of references listed as well.
The Beginning
Genealogy classes are scheduled through December (except July and August)
before monthly TCGS general meetings from 6:15-6:45 p.m. This third class was
attended by 32 people and continues with a well thought out research plan.
