In the first six
articles of this series, we have shown you how to get your
genealogical project started and how to continue using
information found around the home or obtainable from living
relatives. We have also covered the essentials of library
research–from getting organized for the research trip to using
published secondary source materials in your research. We will
now turn our attention to the nuts and bolts of genealogical
research: the various primary sources, vital records, and other
official documents. As is the case with all of us today
(although not quite to the same extent), our ancestors left a
paper trail. In addition to the documentation of the major life
events (birth, marriage, and death), other events occurred which
provide further documentation of their lives. They belonged to
churches, went to school, served in the military, owned
property, paid taxes, were counted in various censuses, and,
when they died, left written instructions on how to dispose of
their property. These various records, when used properly, tell
the stories of the lives of our ancestors.
In future
articles, we will help you learn to use these documents as you
build your pedigree, fill in your family group sheets, and move
toward a greater understanding of your progenitors. In the
articles that focus on using the various types of records, we
will define the meaning of each record type, discuss the various
ways to access a copy of the record, and explain how to use each
record once it is obtained. Our objectives are for the beginner
to fully understand the wide variety of research records
available and to feel comfortable using these records when
researching.
Primary Sources
In this article, we will examine the most fundamental of all
written records: primary source materials and vital records. A
primary source is a record of an event written, spoken, or
photo-graphed by an eyewitness to that event at or near the time
the event occurred. Examples of primary source materials
include:
• Letters
• Eyewitness newspaper accounts
• Ship passenger lists*
• Diaries
• Deeds* and other land ownership records
• Baptismal certificates
• Photographs of family reunions
• Business ledgers with notes in the margins
• Military records*
• Family Bibles with a listings of births, marriages, or
family events
• Census records*
• Home videos
• Voice recordings, oral histories
• Immigration records*
• Wills*
(*This
record type will be covered in more detail later in the
series.)
Hopefully, you
will have uncovered some of these materials from a close
relative or as you looked around your house. Any of these
examples could yield valuable genealogical information. It is
from these sources that we often gain valuable insight into the
personality of our ancestors. One of our most valued possessions
is a business ledger written by Jim’s grandfather in the 1930s.
At first glance it does not seem like much, but his comments and
observations in the margins provide hints to his personality.
Jim was only thirteen when his grandfather died and the ledger
gives him a connection to the man he had previously known only
as a youth. In one entry, Jim’s grandfather comments on Jim’s
father’s reaction to a baseball glove he received as a present
on his fourteenth birthday. This glimpse into the past is what
makes primary source research so valuable. While it provides
evidence of an event (as in the previous example, the entry was
for 8 October 1931; the birth date can be implied to be 8
October 1917) it goes beyond the facts and fleshes in a
relationship or a personality.
Primary sources,
as beneficial as they are, still have potential shortcomings. In
the PBS television series "Ancestors," records expert John
Phillip Colletta uses the example of a baptismal record recorded
on 31 February. Obviously, a situation such as this would
require additional research. In your research log you should
note the information exactly as it appears in the original
source. Then you should add any other evidence you discover as
well as an anecdotal footnote describing your opinion on the
date of the event. Remember that an eyewitness can
unintentionally distort his or her perception of an event. In
our college psychology class, an individual burst in on the
lecture and shot the professor. After the class had recovered
from the very real shock caused by the mock attack, we were
required to write a description of what we had witnessed.
Amazingly, there was little similarity between accounts. This
concept applies to any firsthand account of an event. They must
be interpreted cautiously.
Vital Records
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied to a wide
variety of life events, family historians use the term to refer
specifically to birth, marriage, divorce, and death events.
Since at least the Middle Ages, governments have considered
these events so significant that their occurrence is required by
law to be recorded in some type of official ledger, generally
accessible by the public. As a general rule, these records are
maintained by the level of government closest to where the event
actually took place. In most of the United States a clerk in the
city, town, or county government maintains the records. And
since the end of the nineteenth century, each state also records
each of these events. These are maintained at the state’s
capital by an office of vital records, vital statistics, etc. A
good guideline to keep in mind is: If the event occurred before
1900, the local community would be the best place to seek the
vital record; if the event occurred after 1900, either the local
or state level would be a good place to start.
It is rare for
the researcher to be able to view these records personally.
Instead, a records request form must be completed, either at the
appropriate office or by mail. After doing so, and as long as
the necessary information is supplied, you will receive a copy
of the record(s) requested. As you might expect, there are fees
for these copies which vary from locality to locality. Some
localities also distinguish between a "copy" and an "official
copy"–the latter is impressed with a seal of the office.
The obvious
problem in conducting vital records research is knowing where to
go or where to write for the information. Fortunately, the
solution is readily available from several prominent sources.
1. For those who
enjoy library research, use the reference shelves of the
genealogy section in your public library. There you will find
several books, such as Ancestry’s Redbook: American State,
County and Town Sources edited by Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., C.G.,
or The Source edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra
Hargreaves Luebking. Appendix F, "Where to write for vital
records," lists the addresses and names of the offices that
maintain these records.
2. For those who
enjoy having a handy, inexpensive guide available in their own
home, the U.S. Government Department of Health and Human
Services publishes a handy little guide entitled "Where to Write
for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces."
This guide, available from the Government Printing Office (PHS
93 1142), is updated regularly and currently sells for $2.50.
3. For
researchers who are Internet savvy, there are several Web sites
dedicated to locating vital records, some of which are
maintained directly by the level of government responsible for
the vital records. These are best accessed by connecting to a
general genealogy Web site such as
eGeneology.net and
following links to find the Web site of your desired locality.
Another excellent site for learning how to get copies of vital
records is http://www.vital rec.com.
Should you decide
to write and request a copy of a vital record, there are some
general guidelines you should follow:
A. Determine
the cost of the copy of the vital record you seek using one of
the sources listed above.
B. Write your
request letter as simply as possible.
• Indicate
who you are with name, address, and phone number.
• Indicate the type of record you are seeking–birth, death,
marriage, divorce or death.
• Supply as much information as possible about the person or
persons involved in the event (their full names and any
other identifying information). Be as thorough as possible.
• Enclose your payment.
C. Provide a
self-addressed, stamped envelope.
D. Be patient
and wait for a reply. It is not unusual for this process to
take two or three letters to complete successfully.
Once you have
located either a primary source document or a copy of a vital
record, extract the information from it. Again, there are some
important points to remember. As you copy the information from
the record to your genealogical chart–pedigree chart or family
group sheet–be certain to copy the information accurately. This
copying process, known as transcription, is often where errors
are made.
Copy the
information exactly as it appears on the original source even if
the information appears to be incorrect on the original. This is
especially true of spelling. As mentioned earlier, copy the
original and then make a footnote. If a census record shows the
person to be WILLIARD, Charles Morse, then record it by that
spelling. Then make a footnote to the effect that his name was
spelled WILLARD (without the second "I") on all other documents.
Do not make
assumptions about the data. If a birth date recorded in a family
Bible appears as 2-12-94, enter it that way. Do not assume it is
12 February 1894, because it could also be 2 December 1794.
Whenever
possible, attach a copy of the source document to your
genealogical chart. In the future, should you decide to convert
your research into a family history book, some of these
documents would make excellent illustrations. Most importantly,
record the source of your information everywhere you write the
information. Most genealogists agree that the three general
rules of research are:
If you follow
this simple advice, anyone who sees your work in the future will
know exactly where you discovered your information. Who knows?
This could be next summer at a family reunion or a hundred and
fifty years from now.
Records expert,
John Phillip Colletta, describes records research as the "great
fun of genealogy." Nothing is more rewarding than to see your
ancestors’ names as they appear on a record that proves a
connection you have sought for some time. All the discomfort of
research–the eyes red from hours of reading difficult
handwriting in bad lighting, the backaches from sitting long
hours in uncomfortable chairs, the frustration of waiting for a
copy of a birth certificate being sent from Anywhere,
USA–quickly disappears the minute you discover another piece of
your family puzzle.
