So, your a beginner. And for some reason, you want to know who your ancestors were. Where do you begin? Or maybe you've been at it awhile and curiosity has brought you here.

There is a vast amount of resources out there for you to choose from, from software to store what you find, to build it yourself web sites to store your newfound treasures.

So now you have a computer, and you consider yourself pretty cool in the way you can cruise the web. You've found a few sites and Magically, your surname pops up. Hurray! you've found your ancestor! Quick now, copy it, (should take you most of the afternoon) and you can tell your spouse or kids all the neat stuff you've found at dinner. How you can now trace them back to Andrew Jackson, Abe Lincoln and George Washington, and the big surprise, you even have Alexander the Great in your tree as a distant cousin! And by tomorrow, you'll have enough information at your fingertips to connect you to one of the sons of Noah..........

From what you've just read, can you detect a slight bit of sarcasm in my words? Here are a few facts you should consider before you even begin to record ancestors past those you personally know.

Start with your parents. Do you know for sure what your mother's maiden name was? Sounds kind of like a dumb question right? No, No, No. Not dumb at all. Cause I'm gonna ask you to prove it. Can you? You should know better than anyone correct? Oh really...... Do you have her birth certificate? and how is the name spelled on it. (I don't care what she called herself, what did her parents call her.) If you ever expect to find the names of your grandparents, your never going to if you don't prove your first generation, and check for proper spelling.

Ok, so much for your first lesson. Now that I've gotten you upset that you think I'm stupid for asking such an elementary question, and your really not paying much attention, and are about to close this page and go on to something really important, like finding your next generation, Read On one more paragraph.

Do you know there are thousands of your surname that arrived in this country by 1800? (Your still trying to locate one in the late 1800's) So how do you find your great grandpa? (you've already blown me off and skipped checking your grandfather).Official United States records compiled in 1974 indicate that in that year Small was the 602nd most frequently occurring surname in the nation. The name itself is associated with the English and means "one who was small or little". The name is found in the English counties of Somersetshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire. There are as many spelling variations as there are languages. English spellings include Smalle, Smalles, Smalley and Smale. The latter is believed to have come from the Scandinavian term for shepherd, which was "Smali" or "Smale". Norse people settled in northern England in the nineth century and greatly influenced the English language. There are records of Smalls in Gloucester, England in 1682 of the same origin as the Smalleys of Leicestershire. In early York deeds the name has been spelled Smale, Small and Smalley, the different spellings being used by the same man. German versions of the name include "Schmahl" and "Schmalz". There are Smalls in every one of the fifty states, ranging from 1,268 families in California to 13 in North Dakota. The midwest is quite evenly distributed with 415 families in Ohio, 411 in Indiana, 593 in Illinois and 431 in Michigan. In 1985 it was estimated that there were approximately 47,700 adults with the name of Small living in the United States.

The first question you need to ask yourself, am I really serious about finding MY roots? If you are not, you can now leave this page and continue your search. You'll have your genealogy finished with a little effort within a week. Congratulations, you now have ancestors........ Oh really...

If you answer yes, I'm serious, but you really don't want to spend a lot of time, or can't, I suggest you pick a few names and call yours done also.

If you really are serious, you are among a select few. And what you are in for is hours and days and months, and years of serious research, not to mention money. In giving your descendants a true picture of who they were, where they came from, and a few of the hardships they endured. And the blood running in your veins is theirs. You are about to enter into one of the most fascinating experiences of your life.

Lesson one.

There are three kinds of people searching for their family. Lazy, Half Baked, and Serious.

The lazy ones complete their search by adding anyone who fits that they've found on the net. They even change birth dates of other siblings in order to make their relative "fit". Their thinking is, John and Mary are my grandparents, (someone else is wrong) my birth date is correct.

The Half Baked don't change dates, but they add names to their files furiously without checking out what they found on the net. In other words, they accepted "Lazy's" information. and now by adding it to theirs, have corrupted both, first by taking bad information and perpetuating it, and now adding another corrupted source to their own genealogy.

Would you deny Hitler caused the Holocaust? To do so would be revisionist history correct? Yes, it happened, and no one should forget. A serious genealogist does not create revisionist history by adding a name to his family tree without first checking to make sure he is indeed an ancestor, yours. To do so is revisionist histroy.

There are millions of surnames on the world wide web. Genealogy sites have sprung up, (for profit naturally) and all will tell you they have the largest files. Big Deal.... These pay sites are to be avoided like the plague. They are interested in making money, not accuracy in genealogy. Show me one that says they have the Most Accurate site. Not one............. Simply because they don't require anyone to prove their ancestry. One again, their in it for the money.

Lesson Two.

So how do you find accurate information? Its not really that tough. But does require your effort.

1. Courthouse.

a. Circuit Clerks office.

Marriage records

Divorce records

Birth records

b. Recorder of Deeds

Land Deeds and Indentures

2. Bible - Personal Family Information

3. Census Records (found in Courthouses and Libraries

4. Historical Societies

5. Published Records

Historical locations listing early settlers

6. Wills

Please note, I did not mention web sites as sources of information. But yes they are. But you must consider the source for the information. If its a submitted family tree, does it contain the source material that proves ancestry? And if it does, you need to look at the source yourself to prove to your own satisfaction that its accurate. Does it contain the source book, author, page number? Remember, work done by others is appreciated, but it is someone else's work. Its their accepted genealogy, but is it something you want to accept as yours without checking? Do you know them and are they reliable?

If it does not contain source material, or none is provided when asked for, move on.

Caution.

There are people who have posted genealogies, stand behind their work and will quote you a source. I've checked some, and found the source they quote is bogus. Simply put, they got frustrated, tired, or retired from genealogy. Did not find the ancestor, or could not prove him, but did not want to leave their work unfinished. So they added a source to give creditability to an ancestor they could not prove, but knew (in their heart) was the correct one. Sorry, does not make it so. And oftentimes, is incorrect. (Remember those thousands before 1800?) There were also hundreds with the same given names. If you think John David and Mary Ann Small are unique, let me talk to you about beach front real estate in Montana.

Summary

So, now your much wiser, and ready to go forth in eager anticipation of finding your roots. Good for you. But keep one thing in mind. Whatever you find out there, especially if its web site posted, use it as a "Lead" not a source. Check it yourself. If consulting published material, consider the date published. Old genealogies are accurate only for generations the writer could have known personally, as an example, if you find a genealogy that was written in 1900, you can be fairly certain the writer knew his parents and grandparents, that would get you back another 50 years to about 1850. And you can check his accuracy by consulting census records.

Old Bibles are your best source, people usually don't lie in their Bible. May omit someone, but not lie about them.

And if you want a really good, accurate, and complete genealogy, Do It Yourself.

Remember, years from now, your work will be held accountable as accurate, or suspect.

What will your legacy be?

End note

The author has researched family origins for 30 plus years, my genealogy in incomplete, but accurate.

Want to get in touch with me? Email me! Jim Small Jim Small

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