When you envision your family tree, what do you see?
The majority of you probably see a strong hardwood column that reaches to the sky, and whose limbs spread in all directions. You see leaves, twigs, trunk, and bark. Supported on the branches you'll find your ancestors, along with names, faces, and dates, telling you from whence you came.
But instead of just seeing your family tree from the outside only, I welcome you to start looking at the inside of your family tree. Look inside to see the sap that runs through its veins, the xylem, the cambium, the phloem, and finally its heartwood. Don't forget the roots. This inner vision of your family tree gives you a more realistic and holistic view of your ancestry.
Since we are not capable of X-ray vision, the best way to understand the insides of our family tree is through the science of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which has been around since the mid-1800s when Gregor Johann Mendel, an Austrian monk, experimented with pea pods. At the same time, Charles Darwin was embarking on his journey aboard the Beagle to develop his theory of heredity. Neither of them knew anything about DNA, let alone genetic ancestry.
There have been a number of DNA milestones since Mendel and Darwin paved the way for hundreds of scientists around the world to embark on their own journeys to discover the secrets of DNA. Thomas Hunt Morgan published his Chromosome Theory of Inheritance in 1915. The term "DNA" first came into use in 1944. The molecular structure of DNA, also known as the double helix or DNA helix, was discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
The world of DNA profiling - also known as DNA testing, DNA typing, or DNA fingerprinting - was ushered in by British geneticist Sir Alec Jeffreys in the 1980s. Forensic scientists began to use DNA profiling for identification purposes, especially in the area of law enforcement. From murder cases to paternity and immigration cases, DNA testing is also used to discover hereditary diseases, and is considered a main tool used in forensic genealogy.
The Human Genome Project (HGP) ran between 1990 and 2003, and has fueled an interest in genealogy DNA testing for family tree researchers who want to take a deeper dive into their ancestry. The primary goal of the HGP was to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs that make up DNA - in other words, to understand the genetic makeup of the human species.
Which brings us back to your family tree. Just as you need to know the botanical parts to identify a tree, you need to know the basic facts of DNA to understand your family tree. In addition to the trunk and crown, you now have additional parts of your tree that are important to study and discover. Thanks to the advances in family tree DNA, you can find the answers to complex genealogy questions; trace your ancestry on your direct paternal line (Y-DNA); trace your ancestry maternal line (mitochondrial or mtDNA); search for relative connections along any branch of your family tree (autosomal or auDNA testing); reveal the ethnic proportions of your ancestry; discover the history of your ancient human migration; help determine your ancestral homeland; discover your living relatives; and confirm your existing research.
Whether you are hoping to solve a complex genealogical problem or a family mystery, if you have questions about an adoption, or are just curious to know the ancestry and ethnicity of your family, there's a good chance that family tree DNA will answer those questions.
Minggu, 24 September 2017
Minggu, 10 September 2017
Research Family Tree - It is Interesting and Sometimes Important to Research Your Family Tree
There are many reasons to research your family tree and multiple resources are available to do so. Reasons for checking your ancestry can be very wide from just curiosity to health concerns to seeking adoptive family members.
Numerous websites exist to search your heritage. Some are free or have free trials. You can also check your county or parish of birth by means of the internet. If you know where your targeted ancestors originated it is much easier to know where to start. In the United States the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have an extensive data base for genealogy. So do other religious groups like the Mennonites and the Amish. Someone with a particular heritage may find good results by going through ethnic records. For instance, some Native American Heritage is documented in the Dawes Rolls and in tribal archives.
Although there are many pay per subscription genealogy databases there are also dozens of free sites that have compiled family records. If you have decided to research your family tree you will want to connect to some of them. A good place to begin is to do a search with your favorite search engine. You can begin your search by typing in "free family history", or "free genealogy". You may find marriage records, birth, death or baptism records as well. At times those records are needed if you are trying to prove membership in a more exclusive heritage group.
You might ask where all these databases get their information. Many of them have forums where people join and share the information they have and try to tie it into the information that is already there. Families, businesses, counties and countries submit information to these sites and share their information for free with others who want to research their family tree. Paid sites may, possibly, offer quicker information or more thorough or easier searched data bases, but these other genealogical sites may have details missed by commercial genealogy sites. Types of information besides birth and marriage records are military records, passenger lists, census records, wills, immigration records and often even photos.
It is interesting and sometimes important to research your family tree. There may be indicators of inherited disease or inherited wealth. Research establishes connections, Genealogy is a hobby that is really unlimited, and can go on almost forever. It requires few supplies, unless you choose to purchase them, and may provide surprises that you never dreamed possible.
Numerous websites exist to search your heritage. Some are free or have free trials. You can also check your county or parish of birth by means of the internet. If you know where your targeted ancestors originated it is much easier to know where to start. In the United States the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have an extensive data base for genealogy. So do other religious groups like the Mennonites and the Amish. Someone with a particular heritage may find good results by going through ethnic records. For instance, some Native American Heritage is documented in the Dawes Rolls and in tribal archives.
Although there are many pay per subscription genealogy databases there are also dozens of free sites that have compiled family records. If you have decided to research your family tree you will want to connect to some of them. A good place to begin is to do a search with your favorite search engine. You can begin your search by typing in "free family history", or "free genealogy". You may find marriage records, birth, death or baptism records as well. At times those records are needed if you are trying to prove membership in a more exclusive heritage group.
You might ask where all these databases get their information. Many of them have forums where people join and share the information they have and try to tie it into the information that is already there. Families, businesses, counties and countries submit information to these sites and share their information for free with others who want to research their family tree. Paid sites may, possibly, offer quicker information or more thorough or easier searched data bases, but these other genealogical sites may have details missed by commercial genealogy sites. Types of information besides birth and marriage records are military records, passenger lists, census records, wills, immigration records and often even photos.
It is interesting and sometimes important to research your family tree. There may be indicators of inherited disease or inherited wealth. Research establishes connections, Genealogy is a hobby that is really unlimited, and can go on almost forever. It requires few supplies, unless you choose to purchase them, and may provide surprises that you never dreamed possible.
Rabu, 30 Agustus 2017
Your Family Tree Genealogy - Choosing the Correct Family Tree Charts For Your Family Search
How do you determine which type of family tree you want before you begin researching? Everyone putting together their family history is faced with certain choices. Who to include in the research? Where do I begin to research? These are all important questions that will determine the type of chart you decide to build.
When you are researching your family tree, you may just start out by finding out about grandparents and great grandparents but to find out who they really were and to find out those little, but important facts, you might want to consider broadening your research. There are several ways that you can do that, and below you'll find out about all the different charts that you can follow.
What is a family tree chart?
A family tree by definition is a diagram of someone's ancestry. So in essence it's a map or chart showing the members of a family, their relationship to one another and even the dates of birth, marriage and death. But a family tree is so much more than that. Or it can be. Depending on the type of tree you choose to create, it could include all the relatives, spouses and even friends and neighbors of a family.
The types of Family Tree Charts
Mapping out your ancestry is a time consuming activity that involves close attention to detail and a desire to find the answers to those burning questions of who am I? And where did I come from? Before you begin, you need to know that not all charts are made the same.
Pedigree, Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree Chart
The Pedigree Family Tree Chart is sometimes called a Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree. This is perhaps the most common type and the one most people think of when referring to family trees. The pedigree chart begins with you (or a parent, or grandparent) and then follows a single bloodline or family name back through the generations as far back as you can go.
If you are researching your pedigree with both your mother's and your father's bloodline, your pedigree chart would start with you, then your parents would be listed, then both sets of grand parents would come next, then all four sets of great grand parents and so on.
If you are researching your father's surname and bloodline, the pedigree chart starts with you, then next on the chart would be your parents, then your father's parents, then your grandfather's parents and so on. In any case, the pedigree chart is the most common and is an excellent starting point for budding genealogists and for anyone interested in tracing their history and their direct bloodline.
Descendant Family Tree Chart
A Descendant Family Tree Chart is the opposite of the Pedigree Chart. This type of chart starts with an ancestral couple pretty far back in the family history and then lists the descendants of that ancestral couple generation by generation until the present. Usually the Descendant Chart is created after the Pedigree Chart is complete as a way to illustrate all known descendants of all lines of the family. The Descendant Chart can then become the outline for writing the family history.
Family Lineage Family Tree Chart
The family lineage family tree chart is similar to the pedigree chart but for one difference. In a family lineage chart, you would include the siblings of your direct lineage or pedigree. So you would include your aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles and so on. This gives a more complete picture of the family rather than just focusing on your direct bloodline.
Family lineage charts are very helpful in identifying your family members and helps to keep all your ancestors organized. It also is an excellent way to find out about relationships between members of your pedigree and their siblings which can lead to you finding out more interesting facts about your family.
Where to Start?
If you are just starting your genealogy search you might consider developing a Pedigree Chart before you get too deep into your research. One problem that novice genealogists encounter is they get excited about the research and end up losing track of who and what they are researching. Although the research always turns up interesting facts and stories, you might get frustrated that you wasted time or didn't get to the ancestors you had hoped to find in the time you allotted for research. If you keep track of names, dates and places of your direct family line on a Pedigree Chart, you are less likely to get confused and go off on searches you don't need to do.
Free Printable Family Tree Charts
Get started right away by downloading a free printable family tree chart. Then begin by filling in all the information you already know like your name, your parent's names, your grandparent's names and so on. Now you have the beginning of an excellent Pedigree Family Tree Chart and a guide for your research. Your first research step after filling out the chart as much as you can, is to interview your parents and grandparents if possible and don't forget that aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings are a good source of information too. Good luck and have fun!
When you are researching your family tree, you may just start out by finding out about grandparents and great grandparents but to find out who they really were and to find out those little, but important facts, you might want to consider broadening your research. There are several ways that you can do that, and below you'll find out about all the different charts that you can follow.
What is a family tree chart?
A family tree by definition is a diagram of someone's ancestry. So in essence it's a map or chart showing the members of a family, their relationship to one another and even the dates of birth, marriage and death. But a family tree is so much more than that. Or it can be. Depending on the type of tree you choose to create, it could include all the relatives, spouses and even friends and neighbors of a family.
The types of Family Tree Charts
Mapping out your ancestry is a time consuming activity that involves close attention to detail and a desire to find the answers to those burning questions of who am I? And where did I come from? Before you begin, you need to know that not all charts are made the same.
Pedigree, Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree Chart
The Pedigree Family Tree Chart is sometimes called a Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree. This is perhaps the most common type and the one most people think of when referring to family trees. The pedigree chart begins with you (or a parent, or grandparent) and then follows a single bloodline or family name back through the generations as far back as you can go.
If you are researching your pedigree with both your mother's and your father's bloodline, your pedigree chart would start with you, then your parents would be listed, then both sets of grand parents would come next, then all four sets of great grand parents and so on.
If you are researching your father's surname and bloodline, the pedigree chart starts with you, then next on the chart would be your parents, then your father's parents, then your grandfather's parents and so on. In any case, the pedigree chart is the most common and is an excellent starting point for budding genealogists and for anyone interested in tracing their history and their direct bloodline.
Descendant Family Tree Chart
A Descendant Family Tree Chart is the opposite of the Pedigree Chart. This type of chart starts with an ancestral couple pretty far back in the family history and then lists the descendants of that ancestral couple generation by generation until the present. Usually the Descendant Chart is created after the Pedigree Chart is complete as a way to illustrate all known descendants of all lines of the family. The Descendant Chart can then become the outline for writing the family history.
Family Lineage Family Tree Chart
The family lineage family tree chart is similar to the pedigree chart but for one difference. In a family lineage chart, you would include the siblings of your direct lineage or pedigree. So you would include your aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles and so on. This gives a more complete picture of the family rather than just focusing on your direct bloodline.
Family lineage charts are very helpful in identifying your family members and helps to keep all your ancestors organized. It also is an excellent way to find out about relationships between members of your pedigree and their siblings which can lead to you finding out more interesting facts about your family.
Where to Start?
If you are just starting your genealogy search you might consider developing a Pedigree Chart before you get too deep into your research. One problem that novice genealogists encounter is they get excited about the research and end up losing track of who and what they are researching. Although the research always turns up interesting facts and stories, you might get frustrated that you wasted time or didn't get to the ancestors you had hoped to find in the time you allotted for research. If you keep track of names, dates and places of your direct family line on a Pedigree Chart, you are less likely to get confused and go off on searches you don't need to do.
Free Printable Family Tree Charts
Get started right away by downloading a free printable family tree chart. Then begin by filling in all the information you already know like your name, your parent's names, your grandparent's names and so on. Now you have the beginning of an excellent Pedigree Family Tree Chart and a guide for your research. Your first research step after filling out the chart as much as you can, is to interview your parents and grandparents if possible and don't forget that aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings are a good source of information too. Good luck and have fun!
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