Family Genealogy Can Be Life-Changing

It's more than knowing your medical history, or where your grandmother was born. It's learning why your family settled in the town they did. Why you carry on unexplained traditions. Why you share a last name with someone, yet you're not related. It's every little story you've ever wondered about in your family. There's always questions, and a little research is all it takes to start learning the answers.

Even the small discoveries: careers, towns born in, how many siblings a person had....all tell amazing stories if you look closely. Okay, so uncovering that your great-great-great uncle was a butcher may not be life-altering, but it does fill in a little piece of a puzzle you had not known before. And it's always the little discoveries that lead to the greatest breakthroughs.

The best place to start is speaking to your own family. Your parents and grandparents can help you to write down names and birth-dates for a large portion of the more recent branches of your tree. Sometimes you may even have a relative who's already done a lot of research to give you an even better launching pad.

Now it's time to head to the internet. Current records are available from 1940 and earlier, so to begin you must have names of those born prior. The simplest way to get started is using census records. Finding your great-grandfather on a census record when he's 12, means the census will also list his parent's names and ages, along with siblings. And suddenly, you've found the next branch on your tree! Now try finding his father in a census when he's a child, and you've found another branch. Follow the records as far back as you can (U.S. census records go back to 1790). Some branches will lead you to the Mayflower or earlier, as millions of us are descendants of the infamous voyage. Most branches however will lead you to other countries, all based on when your relatives journeyed to America. It's often surprising what countries will turn up in your family tree, from Germany to Poland or even Serbia, but finding them will instantly tell you more about your family's past. And that's the basics to a quick study into your past.

Niagara Celtic's Resource Center

www.genealogy.com

http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/index.html

This great software is matched with ancestry.com, one of the largest libraries of historical documents and records. Whether you're looking to discover your ancestry, or want a place to record your own history, Family Tree Maker makes it simple. Ordering at the holidays also means the chance for a great discount.
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We're welcoming in 2013 and prepping for our 13th festival all in one! January means contests and chances to win festival tickets (make sure to be on Facebook too). Our thirteenth year also means your chance to have your voice heard about improving our festival, which will help us in a big way!

Enter The Haggis

622 Main St. Buffalo, NY

$15 advance / $17 at the door

December 24th at 11pm