The majority of Jews today naturally do not live where their ancestors did100′s of years ago in the family tree. Because of the centuries of injustice and recently the Holocaust, many Jews believe it is an impossible task to try to trace their Jewish roots back to the old country. That is false. With the technology of today, you can trace your Jewish ancestry. There are resources that can help with specific Jewish culture.

Jewish families started using permanent family surnames as early as the 10th century. They were used mostly be the Sephardic Jews in Portugal, Spain and Italy. Not until much later did, the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe and Germany begin that practice.

Many Orthodox Jews today still use the traditional naming pattern. Those are when family names are passed down from generations. It is traditional in Easter Europe and Germany’s Jewish families to name a baby after a deceased relative. This is a way of showing respect and honoring that person’s memory.

It can make tracing your Jewish roots a little harder, because the name may not be identical to the deceased relative just similar in some way to the ancestor’s given name. Many times the name just sounds like the ancestors.

That is the difference between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish families who choose to name their babies after living relatives. Many surnames are reserved for specific locations in Eastern Europe.

Here a just some basic steps you can use to begin your Jewish family tree.

The number one place for all genealogy research to begin is at home. Start talking to your family elders. They will love the attention and by sitting down with pen and pad you can ask them about their past. Do they remember their grandparent’s names and where they came from? Find out if they may remember a specific town or village where their ancestors may have lived. Ask them if they remember any cousin’s names, schools and the names of synagogues, they may have attended.

When you have as much information as you can get from your relatives the next course of action is locating the following records. Census records will give you information. In the U.S. from 1900 on the census records, include year of immigration.

After that, you can then try passenger arrival records, as well as naturalization. Passenger Arrival list-When arriving in the U.S, these lists after 1893 contain last residence. With that kind of information, you may be able to find the town, province or country your relative came from. It will depend on the ship and what records they kept.

The good news for anyone looking for information after 1906 those records will show birthplace, town or city and country. Naturalization Records in the United States will show information on the country of origin. Like the passenger arrival list after 1906, these records should be a great help in your genealogy search. Many of these records will show place of birth; residence in the old country, the date, port and ship arrival in the U.S. The immigrant’s name is listed on the passenger list. Many immigrants including Jews changed their names after arriving.

Therefore, if you are lucky enough to obtain any records after 1906 they may be able to tell you what name your family used in the old country. As with all family tree searches marriage records along with old letters and photographs are always very useful. So are probate records and obituaries in the newspapers.

Every family tree is a great educational tool. It shows all of us what our ancestors have gone through to give everyone who came after a better life.

By: Anna O’Brien

About the Author:

Kansieo.com

Your Family Tree: You Can Trace Your Ancestors With Free orInexpensive Online Resources

As a beginner in genealogy you may be wondering how expensive it can be to get on the internet and build a family tree going back “lepleteen” generations, as my granddaughter counts. You will be glad to know that genealogy can be a recession-proof hobby. Here are 5 sources you can use to help you find ancestors and build your family tree correctly, without breaking your budget.

FREE Family Tree Software Programs

Use a software program designed to keep your ancestors’ details organized the correct way, and in a form that will let you share with others in the family as well. Two possible free options could be the Standard version of “Legacy” from legacyfamilytree, or “PAF” found on the FamilySearch website. A number of other programs are available for under US$60. Remember that some commercial websites offering genealogy resources may provide a free copy of a software program with a one year membership.

FREE Databases To Search And To View

The world’s largest database is also free, on the FamilySearch website. With cameras recording documents, registers, and records all over the world, FamilySearch has information and details available for the searching. From their Family History Centers (in many regions) or from your local public library, you can also request microfilms of specific places and documents for a minimal charge.

Commercial sites frequently carry some specific databases free for searching as well as viewing of the document online. For example: 1881 Canada Census, 1881 U.K. Census, 1880 U.S. Census records are all free on several sites such as Lost Cousins and on Ancestry. Another possibility: WorldVitalRecords provides up to 2 weeks searches and views free on NEW databases it adds, such as a particular state published histories, or civil war pension lists. It is worth searching through any commercial site to find any free databases: contact the company for more information on free searches and free views.

WorldGenWeb or USGenWeb are non-profit volunteer organizations providing genealogical and historical records and resources. They are very variable in quantity and quality of offerings, but are well worth searching for your ancestors.

Your local library may have one or more commercial sites (library version) available free of charge to you with your library card. HeritageQuest and Ancestry.com are two which may be available, so ask your librarian! Family History Centers may have the database of the New England Historic Genealogical Society available for you to search at their centers, and for free.

Finally, remember that many commercial sites will allow you to search free… but charge you to view the original documents that your information is on, such as findmypast in the U.K., or scotlandspeople. If you are very detailed and specific in your searches, you may actually be able to pin down who it is you are looking for through these free searches!

FREE Gravestone Information, Inscriptions, and Photos

An amazing resource, gravestones offer much to the beginner in genealogy. You may be able to trace your ancestors by finding their gravestone with all its details, next to a wife (or two) and children. You may find the wife’s maiden name as well, a great boon. Findagrave is one of several such internet sites devoted to cemeteries inhabitants. It is a relatively large free site, and you may receive photos of your ancestors’ graves simply by making a request. Volunteers do the legwork of photography and then contacting you with the photos, usually emailed. And, as these volunteers are from the village or region, they may also have more information on the family or history of the area. Wonderful resources in finding ancestors.

FREE Paperwork: Charts, Forms, “Tree” drawings

You will need to keep your information organized, remember various document details, list where a family or an ancestor lived at various times, plus all the dates and places. How can you do this? By using forms and charts designed for the purpose. Rather than re-invent the wheel, use the various free charts and forms available on many many sites, which can be downloaded to your computer and printed. Check on Cyndi’s List for free forms; click on “genealogy resources” on government web sites and blogs; click on Get Started on familytreemagazine, and then click on Free Forms to download a number of helpful charts and forms. Use Cyndi’s List or a search engine to search for tree drawings you could use for 2-3 generations “trees”. It is all available for the asking. Your library likely has genealogy books with forms at the back which may be copied for your own personal use, as well.

FREE Genealogy Newsletters & Blogs & How-To’s

These are wonderful resources for the beginner in genealogy. Others have been able to do genealogy research online as well as offline, and love to share their findings. As you search online, look for sign-up boxes for “Free Newsletter” since many commercial sites as well as professional genealogists offer helpful email newsletters. Search for Genealogy Blogs as a topic, and browse through the wonderful variety available online. Blogs are short personal writings, like a brief letter or note, on a specific topic. You can always unsubscribe if you find a blog or newsletter not useful to you.

Researching family history need not be expensive. With these free ideas, you will be able to find your ancestors and build up family trees, learning more and more from genealogy research sites. Enjoy your searches.

By: Celia Lewis

About the Author:

Tracing family histories can often be a difficult task. However, the best place to start is by tracing genealogy. Without names to go on, any family history is almost impossible to create. Thus, a full family tree should be formed and formatted in order to figure out just who these people were, when they lived, and where they lived.

Once you have figured out names, the real digging begins. You need to find as much information about these people as possible. Anything in the public record is usually the best place to start. Legal papers can be a wealth of information about the people from whom you are descended. Such items as deeds, real estate papers, and loan papers can tell you a great deal about the names on your family tree. If they bought land, they must have worked it. If they applied for loans, they usually gave a purpose for the loan. These are the meat of any family history. With a few little details, you can start filling in a whole lot of blanks.

As well, old letters are very useful for tracing family histories. Though letter writing is something of a lost art today, people would often keep letters they received, especially love letters. These can provide fascinating glimpses into the people who have gone on before you, as they will often not only speak of their love, but they can also provide interesting asides about where they were and what they were doing. The addresses will tell you where those letters went. Return addresses will tell you where they came from. They often told each other where they were and what they were doing at the time. These are not just pieces of paper, they are windows into the souls of your ancestors.

Family Bibles are akin to the Holy Grail for those tracing family histories. As these were often large, decorative, sacred books, they were almost never discarded. Thus, people often used them to store important documents. It was like a large safe. Simply put those loan papers at Numbers 12, and they were safe. As well, people often listed ancestry and descendents in these books. The front page often contains a family tree that can be used to find relations that are not in one’s family tree. And as the Bible was passed down from generation to generation, it was filled out that much more, creating a complete history of the family.

However, the most important resource for tracing family histories should not be overlooked. That resource is, of course, family members. Surviving relations are a wealth of information. They want to talk about what they did, where they went, how they felt about things, and what was going on at the time. They can call up stories that they have not had the chance to tell, and they will sometimes remember things they forgot they knew as they tell their stories. Do not forget to ask your family members about the family. They will be more than happy to help.

Tracing family histories can provide wonderful scenes, compelling dramas, and stories that are too strange to be untrue. When you compile the history of your family, remember that you are learning about people. People who were just as full of life and vitality as you are. So feel free to tell their stories and don’t forget to enjoy the fact that you are letting your ancestors live their lives all over again.

By: Trevor Dumbleton

About the Author:

Today, family trees can be made in many different forms, such that there are many different examples of family lineage formats. Choose the format that fits you best. For example, some people find it easier to follow a descendants’ chart, which begins with the patriarch or matriarch at the top of the page and then branches downward to show the family descendants from that one individual. Another method is the ancestry chart. The ancestry chart begins with the newest generation at the bottom, and then branches upward and outward as more ancestors are uncovered. Charts can also branch from left to right.

You can also create themed trees. For example, you could include the descendants of a single figure in a tree, or you could include all the ancestors of a single individual. Or, your family lineage might trace your surname. There are trees that have been made to trace royal lineage. These particular trees are very fascinating, and also help place historical events properly, such as when members of one royal family married members of other royal families to expand empires.

One of the oldest family trees is that of Jesus Christ, which traced his genealogy back to Jesse, as it was depicted in a stained glass window in France’s Chartres Cathedral, dating back to 1145. Among the first nonbiblical family trees to trace the entirety of family relationships, as compared to those constructed from strictly patriarchal lines, was the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles, or Genealogia deorum gentilium, done by Boccaccio and dating back to 1360.

Confucius’ family lineage is perhaps the largest known; Confucius lived from 551 to 479 B.C. This particular family tree includes 80 generations and boasts 2 million members. The Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee has scheduled its next update for 2009. Today, there may still be over one million numbers living of this family throughout the world.

If looking at examples of very large and complex family trees threatens to overwhelm you, relax. Simply start with as many names and important dates for as many relatives as you can find, and then begin making your family lineage. You can do this in several different ways. For example, you can simply cut physical pieces of paper out with information on them and arrange them on poster board or paper. If you’re good at drafting or drawing by hand, you can construct your family lineage by this method. Or, you can find sites on the Internet that have examples of family trees and templates that you can use for your own information. Then, you can generate your own family lineage online.

There are also professional family tree makers who will customize a family lineage for you with pictures, names and dates — although this won’t be free. That may take some of the fun out of it for you as well, because one of the most enjoyable parts of constructing family trees for many people is finding those names and dates, which can bring back old memories. Doing your own genealogical research can also strengthen bonds with family members. You can create your family lineage by hand, or you can do it on your computer and then later have a work of art made from it that you can probably display.

There are many websites out there that will help you create your own family tree. Simply type, “Make your own family tree” into Google, and you’ll see just how many; in fact, there are over 40 million results for that one keyword phrase alone! Many of these sites are specifically meant for children, so that they can create their own family trees. Researching your own family lineage is never boring. Today’s world is increasingly globally connected, and this makes genealogy research more rewarding, more productive, and easier, as those interested in genealogy post their own research on the Internet.

There is no right way to make a family tree; instead, there are many methods. Choose the method that makes the most sense and has the most meaning to you. Share the results of your research online, and you may just help someone else on the other side of the world discover who his or her ancestors are, too.

By: Daniel K. Voyles

About the Author:

Maybe you are hearing stories about your family and conducting a genealogy search will uncover your family history to confirm about the tales you’ve been hearing. It is normal for people to be curious about the real stories of their families. Who knows you might be related to some famous people and that is really, really exciting. Most importantly, genealogy search will allow you to map your family tree to keep the history of your family intact for future generations.

It could be very challenging and involves a lot of research to uncover your family history. There are things that could make the history of your family complicated like marriages, divorces and adoptions. Records maybe forgotten and old family members may not be here anymore to share stories.

You may think that it will take months to uncover your family history if you are going to unearth dusty documents and archives from libraries, government records, etc. You have to dig about births, deaths, marriages records and a lot more. Maybe in the old days, that would be the case but now with the presence of internet, things are a lot easier.

Now with the power of the internet, information that will take months to gather to uncover your family history will be a lot faster and you will get results immediately. Getting at the bottom of buried history of your family and traditions is no longer a difficult task now. You can easily uncover your family history through online genealogy search that will help you understand more about your ancestors and where you came from.

By: Gerry Restrivera

About the Author:

Obviously your interest is fired up because you are reading this but you may be stuck as to where to begin with your family tree. Many people get started then give up because they do not know where to go next. That is a question we are always being asked at our Genie website

Welcome to number one in a series of five that I Have written. I hope that this will be of use to you in your search for your family history.

So where to start? Right at home is where I suggest you begin. First list all the relatives you know about, going back as far as you can. Dates if you know them but fill in those details as you go and as you find out more. I will cover checking these details later.

Once you have done that then ask your family. Ask the oldest members of your family what they remember. The smallest details and stories are valuable to give you further information and leads to be followed up at a later date.

My mother has been a mine of information. Taking the story back over several generations. Not only with details of the people she knew personally but also with what she was told by her parents and grandparents.

I recommend recording these conversations rather than scribbling things down. You can then go back to them at leisure and note down the important details.

Spread your inquiries further afield. even the most distant relative may have some snippet of information that will lead you on to filling in missing detail.

Surnames, maiden names, places of birth, occupations are all of interest and although they might not seem relevant are worth noting down. For example an occupation may explain why a particular person moved location at a particular time. Perhaps they fought in a war? This may open up a line of research into military records for example.

Every little detail will help bring the past back to life so that it becomes more than a dry record of dates and names but a history of real people and the times they lived in. This has made my own research and the research I have done for other people far more interesting.

I hope that this gives you a good start towards tracing your roots. So what is stopping you? Get out there and start asking questions.

Roger

By: Roger Shann

About the Author: