The relaxing days of summer are just ahead, and with that in mind, it’s the perfect time to begin your genealogy research!
Family history is the best gift that you could ever pass on to your relatives. Everyone loves to hear family stories, and learn about where they came from. If the project seems too daunting to begin, start small. Begin by recording your own family, your parents and grandparents. Record what you know.
As summer brings family trips and relatives visiting, make a point of asking relatives for information about your own family. Go beyond who married who and when; delve into information such as occupations and interests of family members. Are there any special family stories? Record everything and file it in a safe place, whether it be a special filing cabinet or your computer. Take the time to contact the older relatives in the family, because their memories are like a family library. The valuable information they know about the family will be lost forever once they are gone. Unless you record it, of course!
Dig out that box of old family photos, and ask relatives if they can identify the people in each photo. If so, record the information on the back. For very old photos, get reprints made and then file the originals safely away. Discussion always goes back and forth between the best way to store photos, whether with actual paper reprints or on the computer. There are pros and cons for each method. An actual paper reprint must be saved in a proper way, with no danger of moisture damage, and must be accessible to future family members. Pictures saved on a computer must be stored with the commitment that whatever new technology comes up, the pictures will be diligently transferred over, and these, too, must be accessible to future family members.
Once you’ve done that, dig a little deeper and start to research more births, deaths, and marriages by visiting various sites on-line. Just type in “genealogy” and you will find many, many sites. One suggestion is to visit is www.cangenealogy.com which is Dave Obee’s directory of genealogy sites in Canada. Dave Obee is a well-known author and genealogist, and a visit to this site will connect you with many possible leads in your family search.
Don’t attempt to do everything at once: this is not a project that you can finish in a weekend. It is actually an on-going project that will advance when you talk to relatives; stall once in a while when you can’t find missing pieces of information; and may even hit a brick wall a few times when you don’t know where to search next. But don’t despair and don’t give up! Keep at the task of looking for pertinent information about your family and their activities. You will find wonderful nuggets of information that will make the black and white names on paper suddenly come alive!
The Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society is a wonderful place to look for assistance, as you join others who are on a family quest. Members at any stage of research are welcome. Meetings are held at the Yorkton Public Library on the second Tuesday of each month, except for July and August. We look forward to seeing you in the fall!
Make your family research your summer project! Every family has a story: discover yours with the Yorkton Genealogy Society!
