Response to Tristi

Tristi wrote the following: "Bloodhound, I have to admit that a lot of this goes over my head. I'm glad you're here as a resource.

Can you walk me through the steps I need to take to find an ancestor's parents? My line just stops with this one man and I don't know his parents' names. How do I take the line back farther?"

Tristi, good questions. You will need to gather the accumulated information you already have about this particular ancestor. Then you will want to pose the following questions to yourself about this ancestor:
When and where was she or he born? Who were the family members? Who were the parents? Were they wealthy, poor, or in between?

Then you will want to look at possible sources. If you know, for example, that your ancestor was born Elizabeth Williams in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, in the year 1849, you then need to pinpoint her records. What kinds of birth records would be available for her? Where can you find those records?
If she was not born in a family that belonged to a religious denomination that resisted the efforts of the British government and the Church of England to register the family births, marriages, and deaths, you may well find her in the UK BMD or St. Catherine's Register. Here are some websites you can search: Ancestry.co.uk - http://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=8912; StCaths.com - http://www.ukfamilyhistory.co.uk/; and The U.K. BMD - http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/.

There are ways and means of searching these resources, feel free to ask for further tips if an ancestor seems unfindable...no database is perfect, and all indexes have problems.

Then look for he in the U.K. Censuses. Since she was born in 1849, she should be listed with her family of origin in the 1851 and 1861 censuses, if she was not orphaned. If she was, she may be listed with near relatives, or show up in an orphanage or workhouse.

If she moved to the U.S., Canada, or Australia, then she will probably show up in their immigration, vital, and census records. You will want to see if you can find her with her husband and/or children.

If you can find her with her family or origin, or find some mention of the father and/or mother, then you can get some idea of where and how to look back farther. The average father begat his first child at the age of 26; the average mother at the age of 19. So you can "guesstimate" backward. Knowing the ages of siblings will give you more accurate information, since Elizabeth's father probably wasn't 26 years old at Elizabeth's birth if she was the 8th of 9 children!

Then you can look up her parents in the congregational or parish, or commercial records that are available in the area, in order to begin to get some idea of who they were. Repeat the process for them that you did for Elizabeth.

New and Interesting Sources

While working with, and interfacing with others, I have been pointed to a plethoric wealth of other sources. Some of them are magazines that feature computer genealogy tips and links, like the Ancestry Magazine online and sources of wills and genealogical societies. You can see what I've more recently posted under "Useful Genealogy Links."

I appreciate your feedback and comments.

Happy Hunting!

Response to Anne (U.K. Genealogy)

The 3 main records types people usually search in the U.K. are the censuses from 1841 - 1901, the BMD or St. Catherine's index, and the parish records for the parishes in which they resided.

There are many other interesting sources, such as business directories, shipping, court and military records, newspapers and poorhouse records.

If you can find a record type that applies to the wheres, whens and whats of your ancestors, you have the kind of source you need.

Some people have also begun one name studies or surveys for the surname(s) in which you are interested.

What are some of your favorite records to research?

Response to Candace (Irish Genealogy)

You will want to find out where the majority of the people with your ancestors' surnames live in the counties they came from. Then you will want to go or have someone else go to the parishes where your ancestors lived to look at the parish records available.

Another way would be to have your or a brother's DNA tested, and see how you match up with others who have been. Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) is the type women and men can have tested for their maternal lines. YDNA, especially Y-33 and Y-46 are the types men can have tested for their paternal lines.

A third way would be to post a request on a message board about your Irish ancestors surnames, or to display your tree on an online family tree. Many genealogical websites feature them.

Welcome to The Bloodhound!

Having come from a divided family background, who my family forbears were and how they lived, whether good, bad, or indifferent, has always been mysterious and therefore fascinated me. What is gratifying is that the journey of discovery has taught me who I really am, and what good things I can do and be. Therefore looking up family histories is something I feel everyone needs to do.

Here on “The Bloodhound,” I’ll answer your genealogy questions and share tips and tricks for making the process easier. Whether you’re shaking your family tree for religious reasons, as a hobby, or for any other purpose, you’ll find this site an informative resource. I hope you’ll return often, and feel free to leave any questions in the comment trail. Welcome, and happy hunting!