New
England Historic Genealogical Society
founded 1845
The Great Migration Study Project
NEHGS
101 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
info@nehgs.org
617-536-5740
Connecting
with Your Ancestors
Researching
your family’s history can be a fun, rewarding, and occasionally
frustrating project. Start with what you know by collecting information
on your immediate family. Then, trace back through parents, grandparents,
and beyond. This is a great opportunity to speak to relatives, gather
family stories, arrange and identify old family photographs, and document
family possessions that have been passed down from earlier generations.
Once you have learned all you
can from family members, you will begin to discover other sources. A wide
variety of records can help you learn more about the lives of your ancestors.
Today’s “information age” supplies researchers with
an abundance of genealogical information. For instance, census, immigration
documents, newspaper articles and modern Social Security records all help
us trace ancestors of the last two centuries. Information for people of
the 1600s and 1700s, however, comes from a variety of other sources.
Records of the colonial era provide a wealth of information for the genealogical
researcher. Many towns recorded births, marriages, and deaths. Churches
also recorded marriages, as well as baptisms and burials. Wills often
provide the names of children, spouses and other relatives. Town lists
of freemen, men “able to bear arms” and court depositions
give clues to a person’s age. All of these documents help genealogists
learn about the lives of their colonial ancestors.
When you use information from any source — an original record, a printed book, or a website — always be careful to document it. If you use a book, you should cite the author or compiler, the full title, publication information and pages used. Also be sure to record the author’s sources for the information. If the author’s sources aren’t provided, you will have to try to find the original source. Many genealogical works contain faulty information, and the Internet also contains many inaccuracies. In order for your work to be accepted — by lineage societies and other genealogists — it must be properly documented.
Plimoth Plantation
Historical
Information about the
Colonists
Historical Information about Thanksgiving
Plimoth Plantation
P.O. Box 1620
Plymouth, MA 02362
508-746-1622