The Family Tree
By Terence L. Day
Terence L. Day, genealogist and journalist, is on the Washington State University faculty. He welcomes e-mail at genealogy@moscow.com, or regular mail in care of the Tri-City Herald City newsroom, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608.
Getting organized vital step for beginning genealogists
This story was published Dec. 26, 1999
You've taken the first step on the road to genealogy and family history by gathering vital statistics and other basic data about your near family.
Birthdates, marriage dates, places - soon, you realize you're going to have to get organized.
Getting organized is the second step for beginning genealogists, and the hardest for some of us who go through life operating on the chaos theory of disorder.
Fortunately, you don't have to figure that out all by yourself, although some do. I'm still a bit taken aback when I discover genealogists on the Internet who have devised their own way of keeping track of genealogical data.
Some use spreadsheets, which are off-the-shelf computer software programs designed for finances, inventories and that boring kind of stuff.
A few - the real cyberkids - have written their own software programs.
Those not blessed with personal computers in their homes sometimes just work out some kind of a paper system using notebooks and file folders, creating systems that make sense to themselves. These sometimes baffle others who may have to try to make sense of them.
Fortunately, folks a lot smarter than me worked all this out in a variety of standardized ways that make it easy not only for me to understand, but also for others to interpret. This is true of paper and computer systems.
Frankly, in this day and age, I would recommend that now - while you have just a little essential data - is the time to explore time-tested systems.
And there's no easier way than to look up the nearest genealogical society or Family History Center.
Information on how to contact the nearest of these is at the bottom of this column.
Don't be bashful. Genealogists are among the most generous, outgoing, caring and sharing people in the world. You will find abundant help in any group of genealogists. They won't do your work for you, but they'll sure as heck ply you with ample good advice and guidance.
You need to organize your information, whether on paper or in a computer. Two basic types of forms help you accomplish this. One is called a family group. It lists husband and wife at the top, their parents and children and sometimes children's spouses, along with the relevant dates and places for birth, marriage, death and burial.
The second form traditionally was called a pedigree, but a lot of folks these days prefer the term "family tree." Some in our society have come to associate the term pedigree with dogs, horses and other livestock.
A pedigree lists just the main subject, usually at the left edge of the page, then lists his or her parents as main branches. Other branches provide for each parent, go back as far as you can crowd the information on a piece of paper, or endlessly in the case of a computer record.
Typical printed pages contain four or five generations. A four-generation chart has spaces for 16 people; a five-generation chart accommodates 31. Add one person to each chart if it includes the name of the spouse for the first person, who forms the trunk. Some do, some don't.
Computers do essentially the same thing but provide many labor-saving conveniences and embellishments. You don't need a computer to do genealogy or family history, but believe me, if you ever use one for these purposes, you'll never want to go back to the old-fashioned way.
This is all there is to the basics. My next column will deal with step three, materials that don't go on forms or fit in computers.
And now for those contacts:
You can contact the Tri-City Genealogy Society by calling 946-1148. If you have access to the Internet, go to www.cbvcp.com/tcgs, where you will find information about meetings and offerings.
Thousands of Family History Centers are operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are open to everyone, irrespective of faith. These centers are staffed by volunteer, amateur genealogists who are genuinely eager to help. Many conduct periodic classes, but you needn't wait to attend one.
For most readers of the Herald, the nearest Family History Center is at 1314 Goethals St., Richland. The number is 946-6637. For Basin readers, there's a center at 12th and Rainer in Othello. The phone is 509-488-6412. For Oregon residents, there is a center at 850 SW 11th in Hermiston. The phone number is 541-567-3445. Call to find out what days and hours they are open.
If these sites aren't convenient, call 800-346-6044 for the location of the nearest center. Or go to www.lds.org/fam_his/how_do_i_beg/4_Where_is.html on the Web to find a listing of centers.