A family tree can be a photo of a tree with names printed inside. I believe we’ve all seen those. I once tore one out of a magazine to fill out and keep in my book. The book I am referring to, however, is what I also call my “family tree.”
I purchased the book to record information about my ancestors. I call it my “family tree,” but it is actually so much more. It contains names, dates and facts about family members, who lived before me. It also gives details about who my family members were, what they believed in, and what they fought for.
For example, my uncle was killed in Vietnam during the war. Also, my grandfather met my grandmother through her letters to my uncle during the war. This is a story that I want my son’s children and grandchildren to know about. Therefore, it is recorded in the book that I will hand down to my son.
I believe that it is important to keep a family tree. I think it is important that our children and our children’s children know about their family history. It is interesting to know what our ancestors did, where they lived, and how they lived their lives.
No matter who you are or where your family is from, you have ancestors who did something important. Our ancestors helped form the world in which we live today. It was our ancestors who helped with advances in technology, the growth of society and the foundation of our laws and government.
It is important to record the accomplishments of our ancestors. In addition, it is important to record dates in order to keep records that can be compared and documented for future generations. For example, if your son marries a girl whose grandmother was Anne Smith, you will need more than her name to do any research for their family tree.
Imagine how many Anne Smiths or Joe Smiths there are. Having birthdates and dates of death are important to determine if the person is the one you are looking for. For example, if you find out that your daughter-in-law’s grandmother was born in Alabama in 1909, you’ll be able to determine if she is the same Anne Smith as found in other research you’ve done. If all you have is Anne Smith, you won’t know if you have found the correct person in your data.
Furthermore, if you know that your daughter-in-law’s grandmother was Anne Smith, born in Alabama in 1909 and that she worked in a factory in Alexander City and died there at age 80, you’ll be able to find even more information. With that information you could probably find an obituary or newspaper article about her.
The key to building a strong family tree is to record important information, so that future generations can learn more about their great, great grandparents and other family members. If my great, great grandfather was an Indian Chief, I would want to know.
Keep these points in mind the next time you are writing information in your own family tree. Think of what questions your grandchildren would ask when reading the book. Try to answer those questions, so that they will have the knowledge that you have of your relatives. Do it now, because there may not be anyone to ask once they are interested in knowing the answers.
Related Articles:
Identifying Relatives in an Old Photo
Getting Autographs For Your Family Photo
Getting Answers to Genealogy Questions