Answers to Often
Asked
Genealogical
Questions
Evelyn Smith
MS in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012)
Edited January 31, 2014
 |
A maternal great-great grandmother,
Martha Degman McQuerry |
|
Often researchers approach the reference desk with the same genealogy questions that a Q. and A. Web page can often answer:
But first, please allow me a personal note to establish my family history research qualifications: This summer, I took an
introductory course in genealogy research sponsored by RUSA, the Reference and
User Service Association, which is a subdivision of the American Library
Association. Nancy Maxwell also taught me a lot of great genealogy tips like these
when I interned at the Grapevine Public Library! While I was in my 20's, I learned how to access genealogical records in a pre-Internet, microfilm- era from two of my uncles while my dad took me on several field trips across the state of Texas to meet up with distant cousins.
Q. Please recommend a
truly free genealogy Website.
A. Access the library edition of Ancestry.com or Heritage Quest available Online for card-carrying public library patrons or else go to the Latter-Day Saint sponsored FamilySearch.org.
The Waco-McLennan County Library, for example, like many public libraries, allows patrons who have a library card to use their library card number
and password to log on to Heritage Quest. Additionally,
Family Search allows Web surfers to log on to its Website free of charge: https://familysearch.org/
Amateur genealogists should take advantage of both the library edition
of Ancestry.com or Heritage Quest and Familysearch.org, according to an introductory course in American genealogy taught through RUSA and the ALA, since sometimes one Website will have
documentation that the other doesn’t. Remember that in searching for ancestors,
only primary documentation counts: censuses, birth, death, and marriage
records, wills, land deeds, and military service records.
Q. Where does my last name come from? If my last name is from a certain
country, does that mean that’s my ethic ancestry as well?
A. Numerous Websites give the meaning and origin
for surnames.
However, knowing the origin of a last name doesn’t necessarily mean that
everyone who inherits it has ancestors who came from that last name’s country
of origin. Families change their last
names for many different reasons; for example, their neighbors may have found their original last name difficult to pronounce after they immigrated; they wanted their family to fit into their new surroundings, or they
changed their last name, so it was easier or shorter to spell.
Behind the name. (2013, January
25). Retrieved from http://surnames.behindthename.com/
Discover the meaning and history behind your last name. (2013). Ancestry.com. Retrieved from http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/
Family name history. (2013).
Name Lab. Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/family-names-surnames/meaning-origin
The Internet surname database.
(2013). Name Origin Research.
Retrieved from http://www.surnamedb.com/
Q. How am
I related to a distant cousin?
A. What you need
is a consanguinity chart.
.
Degrees of family relations. (n.
d.). San Antonio Government. Retrieved from http://www.sanantonio.gov/atty/Ethics/ConsanguinityChart.htm
Rhymes, John Longstreet. (1999). A
chart of consanguinity. “Kinship charts”. Rootsweb. Retrieved from
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~longstrt/consangu.html
Q. My
great-great grandmother was an Indian princess. How do I prove that I have Native
American ancestry?
A. Each tribe has slightly
different requirements since it is the equivalent of a separate nation.
To determine membership in a particular tribe, claimants
must cite descent from a documented Native American whose
name already appears on either Indian rolls or on Native American censuses, enrollment records, annuity, or allotment records. For instance, many individuals claiming tribal membership in one of the "Five Civilized Nations" cite
enrollment rolls, such as the Dawes Roll that recorded an ancestor's membership in the Cherokee,
Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, or Seminole tribe. Oral family history doesn’t count since
primary documentation is necessary. Sometimes, in the American South, the Indian princess story covered up a distant African American ancestor.
If an ancestor's name is already in a tribe's records, then an applicant can only obtain tribal membership if he or she can claim a certain degree of ancestry from a particular tribe (usually no less than 1/16th or 1/8th), which is set by individual tribes. That means an applicant's full-blooded ancestor is most probably no further back in time than a great, great grandmother or a great grandmother.
Incidentally, Native Americans didn’t have Indian princesses since a chief
wasn’t a king. Ordinarily, tribes selected both war and peace chiefs from a council of tribal advisors from prominent families within the tribe, but the title of chief usually wasn't hereditary. This system of selecting tribal leadership was similar to tanistry--the system by which the Scots selected their early kings. Thus, while Pocahontas
was a daughter of Powhatan, a powerful Algonquian chief, he wasn’t a king, so
she wasn’t a princess.
Native American ancestry. (2011). American Indian genealogy. A. A. G. International Research. Retrieved
from http://www.intl-research.com/native.htm
Native American ancestry. (2013).
Indians.org. Retrieved from http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-ancestry.html
The truth about Indian princesses. (2006, February 27). Eastman’s
Online Genealogy Newsletter. Retrieved from http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/02/the_truth_about.html
Trace Indian ancestry. (n.
d.). United States Department of the
Interior. Retrieved from http://www.doi.gov/tribes/trace-ancestry.cfm
Q. How do I go about joining the Daughters of the American Revolution?
A. Furnish primary sources of
documentation. Any woman over 18 who can provide documentation of
lineal
bloodline descent from an ancestor who served in
or provided support for the Continental Army between 1775 and 1783 is
eligible. Membership requires
documenting lineage through vital records back to the
patriot ancestor.
DAR National Society. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.dar.org/natsociety/content.cfm?ID=92&hd=n
Q.
How do I change my name?
A. A formal
name change necessitates a petition to the court.
While most name changes take
place as part of a marriage or divorce, a formal name change
requires the following steps according to
the Texas Young Lawyers:
1) Filing a petition for a change of name;
2) Preparing and entering an order of change of name;
3) Steps the petitioner should take after a judge grants the petition.
Since laws and civil procedures in each state differ, Americans
should consult their local bar association about how to go about a name
change while those individuals living in other countries should consult their local attorneys.
Name changes in Texas.
(2010). Texas Young Lawyers
Association. Retrieved from http://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Our_Legal_System1&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23466
Name change. (2013). TexasLawHelp.org. Pro Bono Net. Retrieved from http://texaslawhelp.org/issues/family-law-and-domestic-violence/name-change
Q. Do I have dual nationality?
A. Each country
has its own requirements that anyone who thinks he or she is a dual national will need to check. An individual may acquire dual citizenship by birth, marriage, or naturalization. However, applying
to become a citizen of one country may signal an individual’s intent that he or
she wishes to give up his or her current citizenship. As for American citizens, an individual who
is automatically granted another citizenship doesn’t risk losing his or her
U.S. citizenship. Furthermore, federal
law doesn’t mention dual nationality or dual citizenship, nor does it require
an individual to choose a citizenship of one nationality over another. Of course, dual nationals have to obey all
the laws of the countries where they have their citizenship.
TravelState.gov. (n. d.). U. S.
State Department. Retrieved from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
Dual citizenship—dual nationality. (2013). Foreignborn.com. Retrieved from http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/immigrant_visas/2dual_nationality.htm
Q. Can I trace my ancestry back to royalty?
A. Statistically, the odds are in your favor. For example, over 99 percent of all those with any English ancestry whatsoever between now and the 14th century can theoretically trace their descent from Edward III (1327-1377). This includes nearly all the population of
England and most of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada,
and the United States.
The rub comes with verifying a particular line's legitimate ancestry through
primary documentation back to Edward III, Robert the Bruce, or any other
distant royal ancestor. Almost everyone
in Europe who survived the Black Death whether
a serf or a king qualifies as a Most Recent Common Ancestor. Moreover
, anyone of European descent is most probably a descendant of Charlemagne (about 742-814). Does this mean you can lay claim to a noble title? If you have to ask, no.
Marshall, Rita. (2009, March 5).
Ancestry of the British Royal Family.
Retrieved from http://suite101.com/a/ancestry-of-the-british-royal-family-a100355
Q. How far back can I trace my ancestry?
A. Most people of
European descent whose ancestors came to what is now the United States from the colonial era through the mid-19th-century or earlier can trace their ancestry to the early part of the 19th century without much work through the U.S. Census, but it gets a little harder before that.
United States censuses simply enumerated households from 1790 to 1840 while only naming the head of the household. In 1850, however, the census taker recorded all free
members of a household, including all family members, boarders and live-in servants, listing their names and ages. Hence, most white Americans whose ancestors
were living in the U. S. in 1850 can usually document their ancestry
relatively easily back to around 1800 since many households included grandparents. Unfortunately, however, most African Americans can trace their
ancestry only as far back as 1870--the date of the first census after President Abraham
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves.
Taking a family's ancestry back to the the 18th century or earlier in the United Kingdom, the rest of Western Europe or the U. S. requires the
researcher to rely on church and town records as well as on land grants, deeds,
military records, and wills. Thus, if a family can provide records for most of its lines back to this time, this is
most probably a sign of generations of middle-class status.
Record keeping for the common folk of English or European ancestry started
in the Renaissance. In 1837, the British
Parliament required the keeping of all vital records (births, marriages, and
deaths); however, in 1535, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister, mandated
that all English parish churches keep a record of christenings, marriages, and
deaths. Not all churches quickly
complied with this law, but most vital record keeping in England dates from
this time period.
Similarly, the Council of Trent, which met from 1545 to 1565, issued a
decree that required all Roman Catholic clergy to record all sacraments performed by the Church: birth, marriage and extreme unction or last rites. However, since the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) destroyed
many of these primary sources, genealogy on the European continent starts for
most descendants of German, Dutch, Belgian, and Italian ancestors about 1650. However, the descendants of aristocrats and the landed gentry from the United Kingdom and throughout most of Europe can
sometimes trace a portion of their ancestral lines back to the High Middle Ages through copies of wills and
deeds.
How far back can you go with your ancestry? (2013). Family Tree Trace. Retrieved from http://familytreetrace.com/2009/how-far-back-can-you-go-with-your-ancestry/
Morris, Susan. (2013, July
25). English parish registers. Debrett Ancestry Research, Ltd. Retrieved
from http://debrettancestryresearch.com/tag/henry-viii/
Genealogy. (2013). One Great Family.
Retrieved from
http://www.onegreatfamily.com/LearningCenter/Resources/genealogy.aspx?pid=12002
Q. How can I find my family’s coat
of arms?
A. Finding a
family’s coat of arms first requires that the researcher document a pedigree that extends back to an ancestor granted the right to display it.
When England’s College of Heralds started registering grants of arms in 1483, for instance, it issued them exclusively to individuals. Similar
heraldry laws applied to nobles all over Europe. Thus, although one may be justifiably proud
of being a Smith, Williams, or Jones, unless a male claimant to a coat of arms can trace his patrilineal
(father to eldest son) descent to a particular gentleman awarded this distinction, he doesn’t have the
legal right to display it. In other words,
feel free to order a set of highball glasses with a coat of arms, but this won’t
impress anyone.
Crozier, William Armstrong. (2013). The use and abuse of the coat of arms and crest. Genealogy Research. Retrieved from http://www.genealogymagazine.com/heuseandabof.html
Genealogical research. (2013). College of Arms. Retrieved from
http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/services/genealogical-research
Q. Am I related to someone famous?
A. Maybe, if for no other than any other reason than your ancestors double every generation (2, 4, 8, 16, 32), and until most families moved from the farm to the city they had many, many children, but you’ll
have to research your ancestry to discover any famous kin. Start with yourself and see how far back you can document your
family’s tree. You may or may not
be related to someone famous, but only by tracing your line back in time and
documenting the lives of not only your ancestors but their brothers and sisters
as well with census, christening or birth, marriage, and death records, wills,
and deeds can you determine any links with the famous or infamous. It takes a lot of time and effort to find a
famous ancestor, but the value lies in the journey along the way. For a very informative and entertaining article that
explains how this works, go to “Your Family: Past, Present, and Future” (2014)
on the blog, Wait But Why: http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/01/your-family-past-present-and-future.html
Q. What
are the worst mistakes amateur genealogists can make?
A. Not documenting sources,
thinking everything on the Internet or a subscription database is true, and
not interviewing living relatives are the worst mistakes are the worst mistakes
beginning genealogists can make.*
Q. What
sources do most amateur genealogy researchers overlook?
A. Recreational family history
researchers everywhere most frequently over look local genealogy and history
books. American users additionally seldom turn
to the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the Lexis Nexis U.S. Serial Set, and American Revolutionary War Records while African American researchers seldom look at Freedman’s
Bank Records.
Additionally, many
strictly Online researchers don’t take advantage of the help preference
librarians specializing in genealogy research might offer them while most non-Mormon
researchers don’t use the Online or onsite references available through the
Latter Day Saints Family History Centers.
_________
Q. Where can
I go Online for answers to genealogical questions?
A.
If your local public
library’s Website has an Ask a Librarian feature, you can ask your question
Online by going to your library’s URL address.
McGregor-area residents, for example, can go to the Waco-McLennan County
Website: http://www.waco-texas.com/cms-library/
For additional genealogy
help on this Website, go to
Free genealogical websites focusing
on Texas. (2013, February 13). Retrieved
from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2013/02/free-genealogical-web-sites.html
____________
More Q's & A's on Researching Family History
The New York Times offers advice to genealogical
researchers, answering different questions than posed here.
__________
Link to Printable
Pedigree Chart
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