Who Do You Think You Are- are Actor Steve Buscemi

This installment once again shows what you may find in your Family Tree might not be the Glory fruit, but a few rotten apples. Whatever you find will bring historical events that may have seemed not to concern you personally to have shaped the lives of your ancestors thereby shaping your life and the way your look at the world around you.

                   There is perhaps a lot of behind the scenes work not shown in the one hour (with AD’s) for it seem that they go ahead on very little information for I know in my own research going by name and age alone can lead you up the wrong tree, you cannot over verify your sources. Now I know they have to make it interesting to get people to do their own Genealogy (selling ancestry.com), but I wonder if maybe on the internet (like ancestry.com) they could show the techniques used to find and verify the Sources which maybe too long and boring for the TV show, but interesting and helpful to amateur Genealogists.         

Who Do You Think You Are? With Lionel Richie

Lionel start with little information and with a Grandmother who didn’t know or want to know anything about her father.  Lionel found out that his Great-Grandmother was married to his Great-Grandfather when she was just 15 years old and that maybe the secret they were trying to keep. Lionel thought at first his Great-Grandfather Louis Brown was a Scoundrel, but found the his Great-Father start a group that insured colored people that white insurance companies wouldn’t insure and was a fore runner of the Civil Rights movement. Lionel also found that his Great-Grandfather’s mother (his Great-Great-Grandmother) was a Slave and his Louis Brown’s father was her owner Magan Brown (Loinel said he thought that a white slave owner would turn up on his tree)

You have to wonder if Lionel did anything about the cemetery where his Great-Grandfather was buried which was unkempt. Weather Lionel went any farther exploring his white ancestors, I realize they may not have enough time on the TV show, but they could put it on their Web site (I couldn’t find it if they did). All in all it was very interesting      

On the Sources

A Very important part of Genealogy are the Sources for once you get beyond your Grandparents most people go into unknown territory to go any farther you need to find a Source where you can find the next generation.  The first Source you should find is the oldest living relative and see if they can tell you their life story plus they remember about their parents. You can find Family Work sheets on most Family Tree Software and Genealogy Web Sites to help you ask the right questions. The person of your tree should be verified at least with Name, Age, and Location, but even with all three correct you can still go up the wrong tree because year ago many families named the children using the same names in certain locations. The more sources you can collect about each individual the more they are verified. Good Source are Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates from the civil records found in City or state archives. In the U.S. these records except for the US Census give limited information were as the in the UK civil registries also give ages, Occupations, Maiden Names and Addresses.

Sources on the internet

www.ancestry.com  This has different price levels depending on how deeply you want to go up to about $350.00 a year. You can build your Family Tree on line building it hopefully with the help of your family members.

www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk This is a very good source if your family is from Scotland, Civil records from 2006 to 1856 and Church Records to 1553. You have to buy credits at 6 pounds for 30 credits.

www.familysearch.org This is the web Site of the Church of Latter Day Saints is free, but has been under fire for the lack of verification.

www.cyndilist.com This is the best site find other Genealogical Web sites around the world.