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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 31, 2002
Your story is unique. Your age, place of birth, ethnicity, religion and nationality establish the parameters of your research efforts.
Each of us, of course, must start our roots pursuit with ourselves and work back one generation at a time, using common sources like birth certificates, wills and obituaries. Even so, demographics dictate strategy.
For instance, at age 30, you won't find your 50-year-old parents on any census records because privacy laws preclude personal information from being made public for 72 years. Age 70? Make a beeline for the census rolls and commandeer a microfilm reader. First generation born in this country? Accurately identifying your original immigrant is a snap. Of course, most of your research must be conducted in another country.
Research becomes even more individualized as you go back in time. Did your original immigrant ancestor come to this country in 1770 from the United Kingdom? Forget citizenship records. None exist, because America was still a colony. Moving here from England in 1770 equates with moving from Florida to Hawaii today.
Conversely, your German ancestors who arrived here in 1770 probably took an oath of allegiance even if they didn't become full-fledged citizens.
Catholic researchers might fare better combing through church records for birth, death and marriage records than dealing with faceless bureaucrats who detest scrounging up such documents merely for genealogical purposes.
Besides illustrating that each quest is highly personalized, these examples show why it's important to do your homework before launching a full-scale investigation. Learn what records actually exist for the time and place you're researching by logging on to Rootsweb (www.rootsweb.com) or the Mormon site (www.familysearch.org) or by visiting your local library. You'll reduce your frustration and lower your blood pressure.
Though it's impossible to create a one-size-fits-all research plan, there are some givens. We're born. We die. Chances are we got married, bought property and left a little something to our heirs. Somewhere there's bound to be a record of one or more of these events.
That's why I recommend starting your hunt in the pertinent county courthouse instead of trolling through census returns, which is where most people head first.
Whether you make a personal visit or request records by mail, begin with the office that handles wills, assuming you have some vague idea of when your ancestors died. Records are indexed, so you don't need a precise date. Get copies of wills and probate records for your grandparents, great-grandparents and their siblings.
Go back as many generations as you can. Put another way, follow the money.
To paraphrase a popular commercial: Nothin' says lovin' like something from an estate. And probate records say it best. They confirm family ties and often provide the daughters' marital names.
Pinpointing death dates makes it possible to locate death certificates, obituaries and funeral home records.
Use the data you glean from those records to nab copies of marriage license applications. (In Pennsylvania, the registrar of wills handles the applications. In New Jersey, it's anybody's guess.)
Perhaps you're one of the lucky researchers whose family lived in one place for generations. If so, root through the county's birth and death records. Typically, these records span from about 1885 to 1905.
(Courthouse records vary by state. Marriage license applications and local birth and death records may be at a municipal services center or county health department. For early records, check the state archives.)
Unless you're terribly unfortunate, you should have enough new information to create a time line and add a few names to your family group sheets.
Now it's time to sift through census returns. Naming patterns and the limited variety of popular names make it likely you'll see several families with similar names and ages.
By having already identified most of your family members, you can quickly determine which ones are yours.
-- Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, she can't take phone calls, but you can write to her c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@aol.com.
Interested in learning the basics of Jewish genealogy? The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay is sponsoring a two-part series for beginners Feb. 10 and March 10 at 2 p.m. at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater.
The $25 fee includes a one-year family membership in the society. (No charge for members.) All participants must pay a $5 fee to cover printing costs.
Register at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 10, or call Mark Baron at (727) 842-5789 or Sally Israel at (727) 343-1652 for information.