IT'S THE EXPLORATION INTO ONES FAMILY. FOR EACH OF US THE SEARCH IS DIFFERENT. THIS IS MY SEARCH INTO MY FAMILIES PAST.
I HOPE THAT THIS INFORMATION WILL HELP OTHERS.
I had just lost my great uncle. After the funeral, we went to the cemetery to lay him to rest. There I walked the area with my father and he showed me where my great grandfather was buried. I asked my father who was my great great grandfather, he told me that he did not know. At this point I was stunned, and asked him why not? That one question, is what started me on my search.
One of my great aunts started the search, so for me I had something to go on. For most people that does not happen. I joint the website Ancestry.com, I started with myself and worked my way backwards. It all started with two former slaves, Lucy and Joseph Sanders, they where both born in 1834, South Carolina and Georgia. To there union 12 children where born. The first six were born into slavery and the last six were born free. They had six boys and six girls. So in my family the surname Sanders was not the only name that I researched. The other surnames are Williams, Fletcher, Cunningham, Erby, McDaniel, Teague and Templeton. I tell you these things so you will know that is it important just to start.
Here are some tips that I hope will help. For some this will be helpful and for others, this is information that you already know.
-start with yourself and work your way backwards
-obituary from family members will be very helpful
-find brothers and sisters
-check military records
-phone books, school yearbooks, newspaper articles
-census are very important. the earlier census only have names, color, and ages on them. the later census give more information, like how long a couple was married, number of living children, and number of total children that where born, how much rent was, value of property, where parents where born, occupation, and if one could read or write.
-keep an open mind, you will find out things about your family that will shock you. remember your ancestors did not always speak about there past. (my grandmother was married, she had three children and none of them new that she was married).
-addition and subtraction will become your friend. it will help you figure out ages of family members, but remember it is always plus or minus five years.
-if your have a lot of females in your family tree, as I do, you will learn that your are related to these family members under different titles.
(I have some members that are my cousins and also aunts, or aunts who where married to one uncle and then married another. Remember they are not related to each other, but I am related to them all).
-all person that took the census where not highly educated, meaning that some only may have had a third grade education. so they spelled name how they sounded. also there handwriting could be really bad and the name may look different.
-sometime the race can be different, but if you have the family members correct and there ages, this could be them.
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