Genealogy Research?

[Dedicated Mind]

Originally Posted by dizzyde

Has anyone here done much research into their family history? I have just started this past week, and I have been amazed how much I have found out already!

Actually within the the first couple of hours, it is almost frightening how much I was able to find out! Of course I had to spend a little bit to access it all, but I would say that so far it is well worth it!

dizzy, I tried this last year but only got back about 3 generations. All four of my grandparents are from puerto rico and puerto rico became a us territory in the 1800''s, so the first census records are from 1900. there are no census records before that. I ran into a dead end. If I want to continue I would have to go to catholic church records and to records from spain. It involves more research than what ancestry.com has to offer. might take it up again sometime in the future.

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by Dedicated Mind

dizzy, I tried this last year but only got back about 3 generations. All four of my grandparents are from puerto rico and puerto rico became a us territory in the 1800''s, so the first census records are from 1900. there are no census records before that. I ran into a dead end. If I want to continue I would have to go to catholic church records and to records from spain. It involves more research than what ancestry.com has to offer. might take it up again sometime in the future.

Yeah, I think I might have been pretty lucky. I know that on my moms side, I haven't had much luck yet, especially because her dad was adopted. But, know that I know what resources are out there, I am determined to find out as much as possible! It is really an adventure!

[Margies3]

Originally Posted by triumphant1

I have never done this. Where did you start? Where did you get reliable info?

Ancestry.com
Rootsweb.com
Cyndi'slist.com

those are some really good ones to start out with. And DedicatedMind, you might be surprised what you could find on Ancestry, even if your family is from Puerto Rico. The thing is that you would have to buy the more deluxe version of their membership in order to get foreign records.

I've been doing my family history for about 15-20 years now. I have a whole file cabinet filled with records. Lots of fun!!

[commonsense]

My son has done lots of research. On my husbands' side it goes back to the 1600's. His sister could join the DAR.
One interesting find....the name was always believed to be German but research shows connections to Wales.



My grandparents were immigrants so detailed research would be across the sea.
My uncle's research went back several hundred years in Finland.

It's a fascinating study.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by dizzyde

Has anyone here done much research into their family history? I have just started this past week, and I have been amazed how much I have found out already!

Actually within the the first couple of hours, it is almost frightening how much I was able to find out! Of course I had to spend a little bit to access it all, but I would say that so far it is well worth it!

I have traced my own family lines on Ancestry.com back to 700 B.C. (No kidding!) - The Druid lists. No dates, just names that when you account an average lifespan would take the list that far back.

There are several lines that go back to the begats of the Bible as well. Those wacky Mormons at Ancestry.com just knew folks like me would eat that stuff up! But it is fascinating.

It's been demonstrated by computer models that 80-90% of the people in North America are descended from three people: Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and the Prophet Mohammad. I set a goal to try and trace back to each - as it turns out, William was descended from Charlemagne himself anyway, so that was easy. The rulers of the various Pre-Spanish kingdoms intermarried with the rulers of the "Moorish" Omayyad dynasty and thus passed the Prophet's genes into all of Europe. This explains the otherwise counter intuitive idea that so many of us are descended from Mohammad.

Other computer models have shown that on at least one occasion within the past 2,000 years EVERY HUMAN BEING ALIVE TODAY has shared a single common ancestor.

I had a couple of ancestors who came to America in the 1600s who were descended from families with real good genealogies already on hand back then. One was a grandson of a "famous" Welsh knight named Sir Matthew. A lot of Americans named "Matthews" share this line of descent. Another was a "famous" Revolutionary War colonel, Col. James Richardson. It was his wife, Elizabeth, who overheard the British plans that enabled Nathaniel Greene and George Washington to trap Cornwallis in the Carolinas and drive him under the French guns at Yorktown, ending the War.

Colonel Richardson was a Connecticut trader who had founded a "free" plantation in North Carolina in the pre-Revolution days. He called it "Harmony Hall." He attracted a lot of "Utopian" types like my six-times great grandfather Jacob, an Anglican Separatist minister (proto-Wesleyan). Their grandchildren married and formed the line that led to me.

[misspresley]

I love genealogy because you find out things about your heritage that might not have been passed from one generation to the next - both side of my family are traced back to the 1600's-1700's. My husband's cousin compiled a BOOK on the family - Elvis and I really are related - but Presley wasn't the original name - it started out with Pressler,Bressler,Preslar - then around the early 1800's, it evolved to Presley. That can cause real confusion when searching for that ancestor who originally came to the U.S. - Interesting fact about Elvis is that his Presley name came from a gggrandmother, Rosella, who had nine children, never married, wouldn't identify any of the fathers/(or maybe only one father) of those children. AND Jimmy Carter and Elvis are from the same line thru Jimmy's momma. Very interesting to me!!!

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Margies3

Ancestry.com
Rootsweb.com
Cyndi'slist.com

those are some really good ones to start out with. And DedicatedMind, you might be surprised what you could find on Ancestry, even if your family is from Puerto Rico. The thing is that you would have to buy the more deluxe version of their membership in order to get foreign records.

I've been doing my family history for about 15-20 years now. I have a whole file cabinet filled with records. Lots of fun!!

I agree these are the best sources. I haven't worked on my research in some time. It is very time consuming even though I enjoy it. Right now my computer died on my yesterday and I am hoping and praying they can bring it back to life. It has not only my Family Tree information but also my two books I am trying to get finished before General Conference.

[RandyWayne]

I am a product of poor European immigrants entering the country around and just before WWII on both sides of my family, thus we simply don't exist prior to the 20th century.

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by Brother David

I have traced my own family lines on Ancestry.com back to 700 B.C. (No kidding!) - The Druid lists. No dates, just names that when you account an average lifespan would take the list that far back.

There are several lines that go back to the begats of the Bible as well. Those wacky Mormons at Ancestry.com just knew folks like me would eat that stuff up! But it is fascinating.

It's been demonstrated by computer models that 80-90% of the people in North America are descended from three people: Charlemagne, William the Conqueror and the Prophet Mohammad. I set a goal to try and trace back to each - as it turns out, William was descended from Charlemagne himself anyway, so that was easy. The rulers of the various Pre-Spanish kingdoms intermarried with the rulers of the "Moorish" Omayyad dynasty and thus passed the Prophet's genes into all of Europe. This explains the otherwise counter intuitive idea that so many of us are descended from Mohammad.

Other computer models have shown that on at least one occasion within the past 2,000 years EVERY HUMAN BEING ALIVE TODAY has shared a single common ancestor.

I had a couple of ancestors who came to America in the 1600s who were descended from families with real good genealogies already on hand back then. One was a grandson of a "famous" Welsh knight named Sir Matthew. A lot of Americans named "Matthews" share this line of descent. Another was a "famous" Revolutionary War colonel, Col. James Richardson. It was his wife, Elizabeth, who overheard the British plans that enabled Nathaniel Greene and George Washington to trap Cornwallis in the Carolinas and drive him under the French guns at Yorktown, ending the War.

Colonel Richardson was a Connecticut trader who had founded a "free" plantation in North Carolina in the pre-Revolution days. He called it "Harmony Hall." He attracted a lot of "Utopian" types like my six-times great grandfather Jacob, an Anglican Separatist minister (proto-Wesleyan). Their grandchildren married and formed the line that led to me.

WHOA!!!! Once again, I must point out, Pel/Bro. David, you are definitely the smartest person I "know," on or off the internet! Super cool!

Your research makes my 1600's Huguenot refugees not quite as spectacular, but I am excited all the same!!!

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

I am a product of poor European immigrants entering the country around and just before WWII on both sides of my family, thus we simply don't exist prior to the 20th century.

Have you tried to research it? I would never have thought that I would find out the things that I have!

One of the things that I find really interesting is that on all sides of my family, there have been no immigrants for at least a couple hundred years. My daughter will be breaking that trend by immigrating OUT of the country! LOL