The Joy of Researching our Family History: Genealogy for Beginners

In recent decades there has been a growing interest in genealogy as people seek a deeper connection and sense of belonging by finding out more about their ancestors.  Who were they, where did they live, and what were some of their challenges and triumphs.  I asked guest author,  genealogist Tara Shymanski to share her personal and professional interest in researching family histories.

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Lisa Louise Cook, a U.S.based genealogist and podcaster said:
“Genealogy is not just about discovering who our ancestors were, it’s about discovering who we are”.

Personal Interest in Family History

As a child I was surrounded by relatives; most were older but there were cousins and an aunt about the same age as me. I often heard family stories. It was natural for me to want to know more about my family by researching them. This was long before the internet so most searches were done in person or on microfilm on loan from FamilySearch. In the early 1980’s my mother drove me to a tiny municipal office in a small community near my home. I wanted to find birth and marriage records. At the time, I couldn’t afford a camera so I brought along a pen and paper to make notes.

At my request the receptionist hauled a cardboard box out of a coat closet and pulled out the record books. Excitedly, I searched them and found the births and marriages of my great-grandparents and their children.

The Potential Joy and Sadness of Genealogy

Genealogy can be a fulfilling and joyful hobby, but it also has its moments of frustration and sadness. When I learned that my great-grandmother and two of her sisters were British Home Children I felt deep sorrow. They were sent to Canada on a government program because their mother died and their father was unable to provide for them. The children, as young as three years, left everything they knew. They were trained in Canada to be domestic servants and often treated as indentured servants.  

Some discoveries may be surprising. Someone I know connects deeply with his surname and all that his ancestors accomplished. He learned through DNA evidence that a couple of generations back his biological ancestor had a different surname. However, this did not weaken his sense of connection to his original family identity, his non-DNA family. He continues to feel connected with the original ancestors that he researched even though their DNA was not a match to his.

Benefits of Researching Our Ancestors

Studies, mostly done with children, have shown that there are psychological benefits to researching our ancestors and learning their stories.

In a Psychology Today article, Our Stories and the Stories of Our Families, Robyn Fivush writes that stories told to children, “vivid, richly detailed stories have” have lasting impacts on “children’s cognitive and emotional development.

Researching your family can reduce stress and anxiety. A study of students at Brigham Young University showed that participating in family history research increased self-esteem by 8% and reduced anxiety by 20%. Why? Because students identified more with their family. They determined that for this reduction in anxiety to take place, historical documents had to be viewed.

I remember helping a young woman look for records for her great-grandfather. She had tears in her eyes when we finally found him in the 1911 Canada Census. Finding records can be emotional as well as stress reducing.

Discovering (Uncovering) Your Family Story

Think about why you want to research your family. Was there a great-grandparent you felt close to and now want to find out more about their life? You may want to discover where they lived before arriving in Canada; how were they impacted by war or famine? By doing family history we learn the trials that our ancestors endured and that helps us to better understand them.

There are many factors that create your family story. Marriage is one of them. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Was it in a bar, at work, at school? What was their wedding like? Was it culturally diverse, did they have a destination wedding or go to the Justice of the Peace?

Another influence is the decision of a family to immigrate to Canada.. Ancestors who chose to immigrate often wanted to create a better life for themselves and their descendants. Your ancestors' decisions influenced who you are.

As we discover more about our ancestors we recognize the traits and characteristics that we - or others in our family - have inherited. This connection creates a sense of belonging, a family identity.

Others research family to learn their cause of death. A co-worker of mine had a young daughter diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. At the request of her doctors, she researched her family history. They didn’t discover anyone who died because of cystic fibrosis but some relatives who had died from lung conditions, possibly undiagnosed cystic fibrosis. Many people are interested in researching how their ancestors died to get an idea of what conditions they should watch for. I joke that I’ll live a long life because so many of my ancestors died in their 90’s.

A desire to research can come from childhood experiences or be caused by the loss of a loved one and suddenly wanting to know more about them. Learning those stories, feeling a connection with deceased family members, wanting to know the cause of death, these are some the reasons for doing genealogy.

Where to Begin?

Most people begin with a deceased ancestor—often a grandparent or great-grandparent, someone personally significant or mysterious. Choose a person whose records are most likely to be accessible; someone from Canada, England, or United States. To research these people, you have to know something about them; a name, a date, and where they lived are helpful pieces of information.

Talk to family members to find out basic information like birth, marriage and death dates and places. Then listen to stories about your ancestors. Once you have the data and stories, the next step is to find records prove or disprove the information. Birth, baptismal records, marriage and death registrations are optimum. Census records are a common starting point for family research, providing information on residences, birthdates, and occupations. Many other record collections—found online or at libraries and archives—can also assist in your research.

A couple of sources to help you know where to find record are the FamilySearch Research Wiki and Cyndi’s List. Cyndi’s List is organized by country and topic. Although it is free, to use FamilySearch you must create an account and sign in. The wiki, like Cyndi's List, is also arranged by country and topic

You’ve all seen the Ancestry.com commercials on television. They suggest that you enter a name and the records appear. This seldom happens. Usually, there is work to be done to find records. Ancestry does have many records as well as other subscription sites like FindMyPast and MyHeritage.   

(See Resources for more information.)

There is also a free website called FamilySearch run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The purpose of these sites is to allow you access to digitized original records from around the world. Subscription sites can be costly but there are ways mitigate the cost. Many libraries have access to Ancestry. There are FamilySearch centres around the world, including two in Calgary. The centres have access to many subscription sites including Ancestry, FindmyPast, and MyHeritage.

When you are beginning it’s wise to ask for help. The FamilySearch centres are staffed with volunteers who can help with research questions. As well, the Alberta Family Histories Society has a Resource Centre where you can drop in to ask for help.

Once you begin your research, you will learn of the many other resources available online and in Calgary to help you. Reach out early in your research to avoid making mistakes as a beginner genealogist.

Researching your family and learning their stories is a rewarding, lifelong hobby. My recommendation for beginner researchers is to talk to family members first and learn what records and stories they have. Then contact the local family history society and visit a FamilySearch Centre for assistance.

Be aware that although tracing your family history may start as a hobby, it often becomes an obsession.

resources

Alberta Family Histories Society
Suite 251S, 8500 Macleod Trail SE
(Heritage Square Building)
Calgary AB
(403) 214-1447

Calgary Alberta FamilySearch Centre
2021 17th Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 571-3700 (no message service, call when open)

Cyndi's List
A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.

FamilySearch
Search billions of ancestor profiles, photographs, and historical documents at once - absolutely free.

FamilySearch Research Wiki

FindMyPast
The home of British and Irish Family History

MyHeritage
Discover your family story.

British Home Children

These children, who were often from impoverished or orphaned backgrounds, were sent to provide cheap labor in domestic service and on farms. While some children found good homes, many suffered from neglect, abuse, and mistreatment due to poor regulation of the schemes.

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Author

Maureen Osis retired from her career -- first as a Gerontological Nurse and then a Marriage/Family Therapist in private practice working with mid-life and older adults. Maureen has published numerous articles and books, related to her professions. She is a member of CALL because she is passionate about learning. She is a volunteer with CALL, doing social media and the primary author of the blog, because she likes to face new challenges.

Guest Author

Tara Shymanski is passionate about family history. She caught the genealogy bug at 17 after listening to family stories and hasn’t stopped since. That passion led her to earn a History degree and a Certificate in Canadian Records from the International Institute for Genealogical Studies.

She’s a specialist in Ontario, Quebec, and Canadian research, with solid experience in American and English records too. Tara is known for her enthusiasm, her love of teaching, and her knack for digging up those obscure sources that others might miss.

Her husband Rob says she might be a little obsessed with genealogy—but she still makes time to go hiking and camping with him in the mountains.

Tara Shymanski

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