An Easy Guide to Tracing Your Family History

Discovering one’s beginnings began as a hobby or a pastime for many. I remember as a young boy, around 11 or 12, I constantly asked my parents and grandparents about our family history. My Mom did not know a lot of her family history but told me all she could and Grandma began showing me pictures, information from family Bibles and charts and papers with names and dates. And from that point forward my interest increasingly grew.

Tracing one’s family history became very popular through the book, “Roots,” by Alex Haley and the movie of the same name. Today hundreds of thousands of people spend hours upon hours tracing their family tree because it held many interesting tales and sometimes a mysterious past filled with hidden treasures of love, sorrow, tragedy, and fortune. So, whether you begin searching your family history by accident or out of the desire to know the hidden secrets and adventures the ancestral chase might just consume much of your free time.

Tracing a family history gives you more than knowledge of your ancestors–it introduces you to the understanding of history, social development, moral behaviors, and law. Researching your family can be educational, rewarding, and sometimes disturbing. You might discover that you are descended from royalty or an heir to a fortune. You might even discover some fancy named outlaws or pirates in your family history. Answers to puzzling medical questions may be found also. But, no matter why you begin one thing for sure is that if you continue there is a definite possibility of joy and knowledge to be gained.

Your research will take into cultures, religions, life-styles, struggles, and romances of many generations of explorers, adventurers, and history makers which are the very quintessence of the fiber of your being. You will find that history becomes personal when you see Uncle John’s name associated with Andrew Jackson’s; or, Aunt Harriet’s name on the same page as Betsy Ross’. While reading a passage in a book of state history you find your great grandpa’s name connected with the names of the founders of New Haven, Connecticut it brings a tingle, and sense of excitement that no words can explain. These findings are just an example of the numerous facts, treasures, and pleasures that the genealogist can discover.

As I stated earlier prepare your self for any type of discovery because not only will kings and queens, lords or earls live in your past but outlaws or tyrants might share the same bloodline as yours. As you travel the road to discovery you will find that not every piece of information is exactly what you hoped for or desired. All families at one time or another had a tragedy or a skeleton in the closet; so, do not let these findings in any way discourage your endeavors. These discoveries as you will soon find out will become one of pleasure, amazement, and satisfaction.

So, how do I get started? Where do I look first? These questions and many more that you will think of as you progress down your family line will be answered in the next few pages. The invitation is open and only you can unlock the hidden doors that silently await you. One very important piece of information to remember is that whether you tackle your ancestry as a pastime, hobby, or full time assignment–you must have the necessary tools and should follow basic techniques in creating an interesting, enjoyable, and organized family history.

The first you should do is check with other family members in case a family history already exists. Speak to parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. Relatives can and will become a very valuable fountain of information. Most grandparents and aunts and uncles love to tell stories of times gone by and these stories are the makings of your family history. Equip yourself with notebook paper, pencils and pens (multi-colored), and a pocket folder for pictures and documents that you may obtain from your relatives. Keeping materials organized will ease the chore of sorting and compiling information later.

Remember–do not be afraid to ask questions. Call or write any relative that you do not visit frequently and arrange a time to visit at their convenience. Any relative that you frequently visit may be approached in person, but remember even they will need some time to gather information. Be patient, considerate and thoughtful.

When visiting with relatives note the handwriting of any documents they may have to show you–copy everything exactly the way it is. If you receive original materials photocopy them as soon as possible and put the originals in a safe place. Do not worry about great grandpa’s name being spelled Mylles, Myles, Milles, Mials, Miels, Mielles, Mils, Milesian, Milesians, Milsians, Myhills, instead of Miles. Always copy the information down exactly as it is written or given to you. The spelling of names has varied over the years for many reasons such as phonetics, handwriting, spelling errors, etc. The names listed above for Miles are all spellings that I have found for my surname.

Names are the most confusing pieces of information a person may encounter other than dates. The name you have known great-grandpa or grandma by for years might be a nickname. In the time of and before William the Conqueror, surnames were scarce. It was not until around the 13th century that the trait of last names became common. Most surnames from European countries came from occupations, places, and nicknames or characteristics.

In some instances a name would be taken from the family a person was indentured to or employed by. Indentured immigrants or immigrants coming to this country for other than their own wishes took many of these surnames. Some also escaped to this country for freedom of life, religion, or political reasons. Whatever the reasons for your surname, remember it is yours and there is probably a great amount of history behind its origin.

So let’s look a little closer at names:

The essence of our being comes from within our heart and soul, the name is just a form of identification or a means of distinguishing one from another; or, perhaps the name is just as interesting and holds just as much history as the life of the person. The foundation for names can be traced back to the Bible, with names such as John the Baptist, Joshua the son of Nun, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, etc. In Matthew 14:8 John the Baptist is referred to as John Baptist, and in many verses Jesus the Christ is referred to as Jesus Christ, names they would be called by today.

Names fall into basic categories:

1) Parental–names derived from the first name of a parent male or female

2) Occupational–names deriving from one’s occupation, positions, or titles (earl, lord, etc.)

3) Place–the name of a province, country, city, hill, river, lake, church, etc.

4) Nicknames–these names mainly derive from a physical characteristic.

Parental Names

Many parental names can be traced back for hundreds of years, but not all of them. Their meanings are some times obscure, and in some instances unobtainable. Perhaps the most common type of name came from adding the name -son or a variation of this to the person’s first name. As the years progressed and perhaps due to ease of use, some names such as Stephenson, or Robertson were shortened to Stephens, Roberts, etc. Many times your last name can be a clue to the first name of a very early ancestor. It can also be the clue to the type of work or position your earliest ancestors held. Often surnames were taken from a person’s first name and the word son-thus John’s son became Johnson; Sever’s son became Severson; Samuel’s son became Samuelson, Iver’s son became Iverson, and so on. Sometimes the name of the first son would be added to the father’s name giving you Thomas son of William, which later became Thomas Williamson. The Irish and Scottish put letters before some of the names such O’ (Donnell) grandson of Donnell–Mc or Mac (Donnell) being the son of Donnell and so on.

Occupational Names

Occupational names are just that, names derived from a person’s occupation, position, or title. A French carpenter would hold the name Charpentier, and the English counterpart would be Carpenter. While a French weaver would be Tisserand and it would be Weaver in England, and Weber in German. The English Tanner, would be Tanneur in French. Many other names clearly distinguish the persons occupation or title: Farmer, Shepherd, Cook, Mason, Baker, Parson, Goldsmith, Knight, Lord, Baron, Plummer, Skinner, etc. Not only do you gain insight into the type of life your ancestors lived and worked at daily, but you also gain insight into the history of the country and its culture. Common names such as Smith come from the occupation of silversmith, blacksmith; Taylor–from the occupation tailor; Boatman or Shipman from the occupation of shipbuilder. Cookman would come from the occupation of a cook. Many times, you will see names listed as such: John the weaver, Betty the seamstress, etc.

Place Names

Place names can refer to not only cities, or rivers, but also to more obscure things, like a meadow (Meadows), a field (Field, or Fields). Alcott is a name derived from the old English meaning “old cottage,” or perhaps even the name of a particular field or meadow. When surnames became a thing of necessity, they were taken from the easiest methods possible. The place you lived, worked, your parents name male or female, and from characteristics such as Richard of Nasty Croft, William of Westmille, or John of Glouschester, or Elizabeth Princess of Wales. Other Surnames taken from places are such names as–Lake, Rivers, Dale, and Glen.

Nicknames

Surnames derived from physical characteristics are by no means singular to the English language. The French Petit; English, Small or Little; or the German, Stout; and the English Tubman are all names deriving from a physical characteristic. Many of names were not names of choice, yet, names of pattern. If you are redheaded, short, chubby, and somewhat jolly in nature, you could become John Redman; John Short, John Chubbman, Red John, etc. Names of animals were also given to a person if they displayed characteristics resembling that of the animal. Such as the surnames of: Hawke, Hawkes, Lyons, Fox, Wolf, Wolfe, Robin, etc. Some other common nicknames from years ago are squire, deacon, parson, Colonel, Captain, etc. The nickname may also be a shortened form of a longer name, such as, Bert for Robert or Bertram, Eddie or Teddy for Theodore, or Lizzie or Liza for Elizabeth. Gert or Gertie is a derivative of Gertrude; and Ginny could be from–Virginia, Regina, Jennifer, Genevieve, etc. They may also have been nicknamed for a position he or she held, or their parents or grandparents held like Nanny, Memaw, Papaw, Smithy, Cookie, Shepherd, etc. Nickname’s can probably be traced back to infancy and in some cases became the only name many people ever knew. I was almost 14 before I knew Uncle Todd’s real name was Ellsworth not Todd. Few people knew him by the name Ellsworth. Todd was just a nickname that stuck with him throughout his life. Names like, Bubba, Bud, Sonny, Sis, Junior, and Missy, go back to infancy and sometimes continues through a person’s life. Other nicknames come from teasing, characteristics or places are common also such as Redman for a man of ruddy complexion or red hair. The surname of Strong because of a mans strength. The names Black, White, or Brown, because of skin color or hair color and Longfellow, Long, Short, or Peewee usually were given because of size.

No matter what the name, it has meaning, and this meaning can some times bring about great rewards, lengthy research away from the ancestral trail, which at times is a welcome break, and it can also create a new understanding and likeness of this world we call home. Never let a name be just a name, it has a meaning and most likely a very interesting history–and it’s yours. The spelling may have changed over the years, or the pronunciation may have been changed for simplicity, but this name, be it Snitzelheimer, Yen Su Ling, Uppenheimerschmitt, Miles, or Webster, is the connection between you and hundreds of years of history. This is a history that only you can uncover and unlock the hidden treasures. Don’t let the confusion and mystery of a name stop your search. Eventually it will all come together.

Always keep track of where the information comes from. Write it down: Aunt Maude gave me the information on Levi and Helen Miles (great grandma & grandpa) during a visit with her. The information pertaining to Levi and Helen Miles’ journey from New York to Iowa came from Grandma Miles and from the book, The History of Steuben County New York. It is very important that you keep track of this information. Write down page numbers, what library, etc. This information will be very useful when you are piecing information together and come across a new name. And, now let me see what book did I get this from, or who told me about Uncle James, or I wish I would have copied all the information instead of just the names. Remember–be thorough. Keep good records. It will still be fun.

I am sure your family, like mine, has many yarns about grandpa and grandma, uncle Isaac and Aunt Rebecca that has been told time and again and as with most oral history it gathers, confuses, and misplaces, its self over the years. This is where the books, records, computer programs, certificates, cemeteries, etc. come in to play. All resources–personal records, family bibles, historical books, pictures, etc., are important. Your method of maintaining these resources is also of great importance. There are many charts available through genealogical libraries, bookstores, and some churches. Many computer programs are also available. Some computer programs available are “Family Tree Maker”, “Parents,” “Micro Gene,” “EZ-Tree,” “My Family,” “Brother’s Keeper,” “Family Ties,” “Family Roots,” and “PAF.” Some may be hard to find others very easy to find. Ebay is a good source to find some of the older programs.

The easiest manner of getting started is with you. Make a list of known relatives beginning with you and working down through the years. One method of organization is the Ahnentafel chart or a similar chart. Ahnentafel is German for ancestor table.

Here is an example:

GENERATION ONE

1:your name (Thomas E. Miles)

2:your father (John E. Miles)

3:your mother (Beverly M. Harris)

GENERATION TWO

4:your fathers father (Levi E. Miles)

5:your father’s mother (Sena Severson)

6:your mothers father (George Harris)

7:your mother’s mother (Grace Gardner)

8:your fathers father (Levi Miles)

9:your father’s mother (Helen Wilhelm)

GENERATION THREE

10:your father’s mothers father (Sever Severson)

11:your father’s mother’s mother (Kari Rebne)

12:your mother’s fathers father (Joseph Harris)

13: your mother’s father’s mother (Denage)

14. your mother’s mother’s father (Stephen Gardiner)

15. your mother’s mother’s mother (Isabella Dunn) and so on

With this type of chart you are always 1, your father 2, your mother 3, paternal grandfather 4, paternal grandmother 5, maternal grandfather 6, maternal grandmother 7, and so on in successive fashion. When using this chart you will begin to notice that each new generation doubles from the previous generation. And as you progress with this main line chart you can than begin to add brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles.