Ancestral Story

DNA Testing for Family History

mainAdmin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:14:26 +0000

DNA and family history are a match made in heaven – DNA is the biological story of your ancestry while the other is the narrative and facts of your ancestry (or your ‘ancestral story’).

But why and how?

The first thing to understand is why. DNA research can be a valuable tool for anyone at any stage in their research but proves to be of most value after a good solid foundation of research exists. This is because DNA research is most valuable in establishing relationships with others who have had their DNA tested – you may find a 3rd cousin! It would be hard to find out your relationship to someone the system says you might be related to (through similarities in DNA) if you don’t know your great grandparents names. Establishing these relationships can allow you to learn more about your ancestors as that distant relative may have completed some research you haven’t, they may have passed down family photos, relics or pieces of information and you can pool resources together to continue the research (such as funds, or working on different aspects of the research etc.). This can be valuable when you’ve reached a brick wall (a dead end in your research) – your distant relative may have already gotten past it!

Another way DNA testing can assist in your research is in providing estimated geographical information – your mitochondrial DNA (I’ll explain soon) may be quite common in China but not in England for example. This provides clues as to your distant (and likely unrecorded) ancestral origins. It sure proves interesting but can even help with brick walls.

So how? DNA is complex. But you don’t have to understand it totally to be able to understand how DNA testing can add another dimension to or assist your genealogical research! When getting your DNA tested there are different options – the ones most helpful for research and the most common options are mitochondrial DNA testing, y chromosome testing and autosomal chromosome testing. Mitochondrial DNA is a piece of DNA that is passed down only from female to female – males do have it but they simply do not pass it on. What this means is that your mitochondrial DNA has come from your direct maternal line (your mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s etc. mother). This female person existed thousands of years ago! The people you connect up to in the database are people related to any of these women on your direct maternal line.

Another form of testing is y chromosome testing. The y chromosome is similar the mitochondrial DNA except it is passed down only from male to male. Getting this testing means you can find out about the ancient origins of your direct paternal line (your father’s father’s father’s father’s etc. father) and also connect you with others who are direct male descendants of any of these men in your direct paternal line. This is especially helpful if you have reached a dead end on your direct paternal line (the line with your surname) and also for clues in regards to your surname’s origins.

Another form of DNA testing is the testing of your autosomal DNA (FamilyTreeDNA – a testing company – calls this Family Finder). Autosomal DNA is the DNA that isn’t the x or y chromosome – you receive half your autosomal DNA from each of your parents. This form of testing will connect you up to many individuals however it can be hard to distinguish how they are related to you (especially if you haven’t done much research yet). However eventually you will connect with someone and exchange information – you may show them a thing or two you’ve discovered or they might tear down your brick wall in regards to your mutual great great great great grandfather.

It should be noted that all DNA undergoes mutations (slight changes) over time – these are taken into account when estimating relationships between others in the database. These changes happen so slowly however that you can find a distant cousin that matches up to you exactly even if they are very distantly related.

A popular DNA testing company is Family Tree DNA. This company has been operating since 1999 right at the beginning of DNA testing for genealogical purposes and have tested well over 50,000 kits as of 2009!

For more information in regards to getting your genealogy researched click on the link to see some family history research packages.

Surname Origins and Surname Meanings

mainAdmin — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:02:48 +0000

Everyone has a surname. What origins and meanings do they have? When did people start using them? Why should you have your surname researched?

Not everyone has always had a surname. Once you were simply son of John, or whatever your father’s name happened to be. There were not enough people to require everyone had two names, one was more than enough. You were lucky if you could even write your name let alone two!

An Introduction to Surnames

Surnames first appeared on the scene in Britain when the ruling classes used their location and title to distinguish themselves. You could have been Sir Thomas of Gordon, a Scottish knight or perhaps Sir Thomas of Huntly, an English knight. It would be hard to confuse them. In the common classes as the population increased the amount of people with the same names increased. Nicknames began to play a part in distinguishing between those with the same name – you could be Peter Armstrong, the Peter with the large biceps (or, as per the humour of the day the complete opposite!). When you (Peter Armstrong) had children the villagers would have known your children as the sons and daughters of Peter Armstrong. Leading, eventually, to these nicknames being taken up as surnames. These nicknames (or rather ways to distinguish people with the same surname) were usually taken from:

The first name of the Father (Patronymic surnames). These include Mac, Mc and O’ which are Scottish and Irish prefixes. They mean ‘son of’. Some examples are: Johnson, McDonald and O’Reilly
The first name of the Mother (Matronymic surnames). Examples include: Megson, Marriott and Beaton
Location – that is from the name of the village someone was from. These include: Popham, Hadley and Crampton.
Occupation – that is from the occupation of the person. Examples are: Geldard, Smith and Cook
Topographical – from an obvious or unusual feature of the area the person was from or lived. Examples include: Cliff, Bywater and Churchill
Traits of the Person – these were physical or personality based and were often, as was the humour of the time, the opposite to what the person actually was. Some examples are: Small, Sharpe and Black.

These surnames are then developed over time – their spelling changing due to their being non standard spelling of words in English (and also the use of Latin by priests and the upper classes). One person can have their surname change many times over their life just because each time the person who has written the record (often a priest) things that it sounds like it should be spelt a certain way. Consistency was not considered important. Other reasons for changes is the joining of one surname to another (which is more common today, and the two surnames are usually separated by a hyphen) when two people marry.

Does this Mean Everyone With a Surname are Related?

No! This is a common misconception. If we look back at Johnson – the first name this is derived from, Johannes, was a very common name much like John is today. Therefore there were many sons of Johannes. However, one Johannes may be known as Johannes the Baker, and therefore a son taking the name Baker. It is likely that you are related to surname of the same surname if, when doing family history research, you discover you are both from a similar area and can get back to at least the 1600′s. However, the rarer your surnames the more likely all people with that surname are related!

But how are surnames researched?

Surnames are usually researched by breaking down the surname into its root words. An example is Johnson being broken down into ‘John’ and ‘son’. The broken down parts are then studied etymologically (the study of the history words) by researching the original Latin forms of the parts of the surname. With the example of Johnson we are lucky in that ‘son’ is a word still in use today, and ‘John’ is simply the modern form of the Latin first name Johannes. So, one can conclude that Johnson means ‘the son of John’. To back up this claim records are researched – mentions of the surnames, and it’s many spelling variations, as early as possible. A great reference for this is the Domesday Book, a census taken in 1086 of all landowners. You can clearly see the development of village and surname development in those records. Also the fact that spellings for the same surnames change right throughout depending upon who made the entry!

What Can Surname Research Tell You?

Surname origins and surname meanings research is a great complement to family history research. Many researchers, when researching their own family histories, well get back as far as possible with a surname and then do research into the surname itself. This then gives them an idea of where the family may have come from and occupation a distant male ancestor may have had. Sometimes it even helps with the research! I have heard many a researcher say that they looked into the history of the surname of the ancestor they were researching and that has guided them to look at records in a village nearby where the surname was supposedly from. Surname Origins and Surname Meanings on its own is like reading the end of a novel without reading the middle. You don’t take as much from it as you would have if you read the whole thing!

Signed,
Ancestral Story

Family History Reunion Planning – Tips and Ideas

mainAdmin — Wed, 18 May 2011 08:19:28 +0000

Are you hosting a family reunion and looking for ideas to make it an interesting and enjoyable experience? Has family history triggered your interest in hosting a family reunion or a family reunion made you interested in family history research? Family Reunions are good idea to share and develop your family history research! Here are some ideas and tips on having your family history be a part of your family reunion – things to remember, tools that might help, fun activities and ideas and managing and planning the event.

IDEA 1 – Reunion Type – Inviting Relatives You Know or Relatives You DON’T Know?

The most popular reason for planning a family reunion is to reunite extended families in a social setting, but a popular and interesting reason is also to share and even develop your family’s research into your family history.

Inviting only relatives you know is the traditional reunion. But consider inviting relatives you have never met! These family reunions provide some great opportunities to meet extended family but also develop, validate and expand your family history research. These family members might have their own family trees researched, but also may have original documents (wills, diaries, family bibles etc), interesting stories or family myths and photos to share. The modern popularity of family history research is a driving reason for the increase in many people inviting distant relatives they have never met to their family reunion.

IDEA 2 – Make Your Family Reunion Unique and Fun with a Theme!

What nationality is your family history? Once you have chosen the side of your family history that reunion attendees will be related to you can use the nationality as the theme of the reunion. Are they Scottish? Have everything Scottish themed! Here are some ideas of bringing your theme to your family reunion:

Food And Beverage theming – was the majority of the family from Scotland? What about trying some Haggis! Ask the family to bring a traditional dish? Or a secret family recipe?
Traditional Format – re-enact an ancient ceremony ie. wedding, christening, coming of age
Games with links to your family history (eg England – Croquet, Scotland - Highland Games, Italy – Bocci, Sweden – Kubb, Greece – Mini Olympics!)
Fancy dress theme – family tartans? Period clothing?
Traditional dancing and music
Themed decorations

IDEA 3 – What to Bring?

To really bring your family history research to your reunion you should bring along some of your research. To make this more interesting you could:

Have a board with family tree charts for different lines. Perhaps an index to the charts so that reunion attendees can look themselves up and see how they fit!
Your laptop with your program – so you can tell people how they are related using the relationship calculator!
Displays: Family History book? Family Tree Wall Hanging? Place significant images/posters around the venue as conversation starters.
A Presentation! A family history researcher (genealogist) can make a formal presentation (slideshow and talk), or just join the mingle and be a good go to resource for interpreting documents, professional history searching to find answers on the spot, historical customs and key historical events context. See the bottom of the article for more info.
Photographer/photographer booth – your family reunion is creating your family history! Photograph and document it – what a great opportunity for each family to have their annual family portraits done! Professional and Easy! Consider asking a photographer friend to make this easier and cheaper.

IDEA 4 – What Should Your Attendees Bring?

When inviting your family, its a good idea to prompt them to bring interesting things – you could ask them to collect and prepare…

Photos (hardcopy and electronic)
Historical Wills and Diaries – first hand records of your Family’s Story
Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
Military Records
Family History Scrapbooks
News Articles
Their own family tree research (consider asking them to share the electronic ‘GEDCOM’ file if they use family tree software/online services
USB Memory Stick - electronic files are easier to share, and pictures can be large and hard to email – if they bring a USB they can share and take away files.
Some family legends, myths and stories!

IDEA 5 – Tool Tips for Your Family Reunion

Consider having some handy tools at your reunion to make the most of having so much information available in one place:

Computers: Have a computer or 2 set up so that people can log into their family history online and share it on the spot, or even connect on Facebook!
Scanner: Family members might bring some info/handwritten family trees/photos/birth certificates documents. What a great opportunity to ensure these primary records are preserved and shared! TIP: Don’t forget to record who has possession of the document for future reference!
Projector/Big Screen: Show some family pictures in the background? or a planned powerpoint presentation of the family’s history by a genealogist!
Computer Techie: Consider employing a computer techie to do the sweat work of scanning and cataloguing of documents - also having someone dedicated will also ensure quality scans and that it actually gets done! It would also be useful if the techie was familiar with family tree software, to help create, combine and search in files. Allow family members the time to share, reminisce, and bond!
Tables to display family artefact, documents and books - don’t forget to let people know that there will space to place these things!

IDEA 6 – Invitations and Managing your Reunion:

Invitations are just the beginning! You then also have to manage the large group of invitees – but we can help make this easier with these tips!

To find relatives that you don’t know there are websites to help you including rootsweb.com, ancestry.com.au and others. These sites can help you find people researching the same family and could lead to you inviting them along!

When it comes time to send your invitations here are some ideas:

Snail Mail: Mail posted invitations will get exactly the result that you expect – the family will know, and come, but RSVP rates will be low, and you’ll probably end up chasing up invitees by phone – good enough excuse to get in touch! A small step forward would be to email the invites! There are loads of websites that can help with invitation formats and ideas!
Print Advertising: It is uncommon for people to advertise in local newspapers, but given the internet age and people are much more mobile these days this method is becoming less practical.
Facebook: Its very easy! Facebook is one of the most powerful ways to organise and manage a family reunion is via Facebook Events. If you aren’t familiar with Facebook I’m confident someone close to you is or you can simply and easily learn yourself! With Facebook, you can send invitations to only selected family members, or you can make it open to anybody to join – very powerful for letting extended family invite relatives they know but you don’t. Imagine your family being able to invite their cousins and families with a click of the mouse, as they are connected to these people through Facebook. A very powerful way to find more family groups that you might not have even thought of might attend, and your family reunion might end up needing a sports ground to host! The Events function also allows you to manage RSVPS, update times, locations, supply Google maps images of where the location if the reunion is and more.

IDEA 7 – Family History Presentation

To really make your family reunion about the common family history shared between those invited is to have a family history presentation. You can either do this yourself, or have one of our family history researchers present for you. One of our researchers can do all of the legwork to make it easy for you to turn your family history into a designed slideshow (powerpoint presentation) that is delivered by an engaging talk. Our researchers are specialists in the historical events and customs that shaped families and reasons that you came about! Our reunion presentation package includes a book of your family history to your family reunion to be used as a display (which the reunion organiser gets to keep afterwards). Even have some family Myths explored, or help finding that illusive ancestor on the spot!

Good luck with your Family History themed Family Reunion! I hope this idea list has triggered your imagination.

Signed,

Ancestral Story.

Genealogists vs Family History Researchers vs Family Historians

mainAdmin — Sun, 15 May 2011 05:44:13 +0000

What’s the difference between a Genealogist, a Family History Researcher, and a Family Historian? Some would argue there isn’t any difference, but then others would say there is a huge difference.

Genealogists

Sounds fancy doesn’t it? Well, the reality is that no matter how much we’d like there to be one, there is no recognised formal qualification that qualifies someone to call themselves a Genealogist. Communities of Genealogists recognise their members via their Societies and Associations based on years of experience and specialisation in researching family history and family trees.

Family History Researchers

A Family History Researcher is the common name for those who researches family history (aka family tree and social history) for both themselves and as a service to others. Family History Researchers may be paid for their work researching family trees (pedigrees) and narrative style family history work. The conclusion here is that a Family History Researcher is often as qualified as someone who calls themselves a Genealogist!

Family Historians

A Family Historian however can be different. In the 19th century many families designated a literate member of the family to keep note of family history related events (births, christenings, deaths, burials, marriages and more) and this person was referred to as the Family Historian. The Family Historian recorded family history in a ‘family bible’ – a gem to find as a modern day family history researcher! These documents are detailed records family history information, often unlocking family history stories that official records omit, but also document farcical family myths – family history as the family ‘preferred’ to remember it. Modern family historians are rarely formally designated, but it is more likely that an individual family member interest triggers their research.

You: Are you a Genealogist? Family History Researcher? Family Historian? Or just interested in Your Ancestral Story?

We like to call ourselves Family History Researchers (although we too are Genealogists!). We love to discover family history but we don’t want to make it sound more expensive than it is! Just as long as YOU do something about YOUR interest in Your Family History, then we are happy! Let us know if we can help in your discovery of your family tree!

Signed,
Ancestral Story

Presenting Your Family Tree and Family History

mainAdmin — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:48:24 +0000

We have enquiries daily where people ask about presenting their Family Tree or Family History. So, here is a guide to presenting your family tree or family history.

Why do we use both terms (Family History AND Family Tree)? Well, although both are interchangeable, we understand a Family Tree as being a chart (pedigree chart, fan chart, or any other chart version containing a brief outline of someone’s ancestors or descendants) whereas Family History is the written, detailed (s0metimes even a narrative) presentation of your ancestral story.

Are you looking for one of these?:

Layouts of Narrative Information (your Family History, or Ancestral Story) – usually in Book form.
Mediums to present your family tree – in chart form, on a wall hanging, scrolls or even electronically
Or empty templates for your family tree charts to use for your own reference.

Historically the Family Historian kept a document called the family bible – a hand written record of family history related events and family tree charts (often confusing due to being hand written!). Given these were a hand written, paper based document, and often kept only for recording purposes – most of these have been lost to time. The modern family historian, however, understand the legacy and importance of their ancestors and are keen to preserve their family history for future generations. Many also consider family trees and histories worthy of being pride and place as art on their wall, or as a conversation piece in book form.

They realise that presenting your Ancestral Story can be as rewarding as the research discovery itself!

Your Purpose?

What is your purpose in presenting your family tree or family history? Many common reasons for finding a way to present your family tree and family history include:

Gifts: Hard Cover Books, Wall Hangings, Scrolls and Word Art for Birthdays, Family Reunions, Weddings and other celebratory occasions.
Art, Conversation starters and Curios: Hard Cover Books, Wall Hangings, Scrolls and Word Art
Heirlooms: Designed Hard Cover Books made to last the generations
Sharing: Electronic, Online, Basic Print
Organisation: a visual representation and guide of your family tree to keep your family history organised and to assist in research and referencing

The Family Tree Chart: Fan Chart , Hourglass Chart or Pedigree Chart?

There are many different types of family tree charts all with their own benefits and drawbacks. The most common is the Pedigree Chart (aka Ancestor Box Chart). This family tree chart has each person in their own box. You choose your desired start person, with lines from them to their parents, then lines from them to their parents etc. Of course you can also do the opposite and have the desired person then their kids, then their grandchildren and so on. However, this approach is more common in the type of family tree chart called the Hourglass. The advantage to this chart is the amount of information you can have in the boxes for each person, however as you can imagine with each generation the chart takes up twice as much room so this chart can only handle around 5 generations on an A4 page.

The Hourglass Chart is similar to the Pedigree Chart except it has the desired person in the middle of the chart with their ancestors coming off them on one side and their descendants coming away from them on the opposite side. The family tree chart then has a shape like an hourglass, hence the name. The advantages and disadvantages are the same as for the Pedigree Chart.

The other common family tree chart is the Fan Chart. This has only recently grown in popularity as more family tree programs are being released with the ability to generate them. The Fan Chart is always circular (whether a whole-circle, half-circle or quarter-circle). The circle is divided up into smaller circle, with the smallest circle in the middle containing the person desired. The circle one larger then them has their parents, then the circle one larger then the parents circle has the grandparents. The advantage with the Fan Chart is the sheer amount of generations you can fit. On an A4 page you can have 9 generations or more. On a Wall Hanging you could have many more!

The Report or Narrative Layouts and Formats

Family History Presentation is not just about Family Tree Charts! While they are important to show relationships between ancestors, it is often the Family History Story that holds the secrets and interesting facts. Narratives take on many forms, and deciding on the outcome and purpose for your research work can save you hours! These detail the story of your ancestry (or one of your ancestor’s descendants) written either as a narrative (a story) or just with information on key individuals sorted by time and lineage. These can also be focused on one family in particular or even one person and written as a biography.

What are the possible mediums? – Books, Wall Hangings, Scrolls or Word Art?

Choosing a Medium is dependent on your purpose and whether you would like a family tree, family history or both (Books can include reference charts to give a scope and visual representation of the family history for the reader of the book).

Books

If you want to present your family history with a lot of information and detail than a family history book is the best way! These can include the charts mentioned above to help give a reference to the family history information presented. This is a great way of preserving your (or our) research, and a great conversation piece at dinner parties and family reunions! The added bonuses of being able to have pictures of ancestors and more detailed information on ancestors (those interesting, sometimes scandalous, ancestral stories!) along with the family tree charts for a reference for your ancestor’s placement in the family history makes this a popular option.

Wall Hangings

Wall Hangings are the ideal way to present your family tree for those wanting to preserve their family tree and history for generations to come and, meanwhile, have your family tree on display to friends and family as art! These can range from canvas hangings, framed pictures, woodcuts or anything you can imagine. Perhaps even a painted chart?

Scrolls

A traditional method of presenting family trees given their long flat format. Scrolls are eye-catching on the coffee table, and can be printed on either paper, or canvas for a more long lasting product.

Electronically

Electronically is often overlooked as a way to present family history research, and there are some creative ideas!

Family Tree Softwares, for Formatting, Searching, Sharing and Family Tree Formatting (via the industry standard and transportable between family tree software GEDCOM file format).
PowerPoint Presentations – a novel way of sharing your family history research at your Family Reunion!
Scanning: Don’t forget to scan any photos and hand written documents in order to preserve them for future generations!

Hand Written

We’d love to help you convert your hand written family history research to an electronic format – you’d be surprised how much more usable will be! Shareable with others, match others family research you might not know about (using sharing websites), and searchable (for names, dates, places etc)! Electronic formats can protect you from all sorts of disasters that can strike your documents and compiled research – instead of photocopying you can now keep a copy on a USB, External Hard Drive or DVD.

Where Next

Once you know your purpose in presenting your family tree and history (or before if you want to enquire, we would love to have a chat about your options with you!) we have some presentation options here.

Don’t let your Ancestral Story be forgotten by hiding away on computers and in dusty filing cabinets. We are as passionate about the presentation as you (and we!) are about the research!

Signed,
Ancestral Story

New Family History Records on Ancestry!

admin@ancestral — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 05:18:49 +0000

The monthly newsletter for Ancestry.com.au arrived yesterday, and there were plenty of goodies.

The Crisp’s Marriage License Index is now fully searchable on the site…containing the marriages from over a dozen parishes in London from the early 18th century to the late 19th. A boon to any family history researcher!

These records can give the birth places of a couple, which comes in handy at this time as the Industrial Revolution forced many people to leave rural areas and enter the urban arena so you often have to confirm a couple’s birth locations to see if they are your ancestors.

Now I’m off to continue my family history research and find my 4th Great Grandfather’s marriage and finally discover where he was born! I hope these records help you, I’m sure I’ll return to them often in doing my family history research both for myself and others.

Signed,
The Head Researcher