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Family documents

What family documents are there?

Janet looked for documents to support the family stories. She wasn't always sure how to evaluate the information found, but she collected many things and tried to organize and preserve them.

some family records Various family documents from Janet's collection

Bibles, letters, backs of photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, articles in books -- Janet found clues about her ancestors' lives. There were “facts” which contradicted each other as well as new stories. She had more questions.

She wanted to know why her family left Germany, how they traveled to Yakima. Was there more information about the drowning death of Grandma Herke? Were there Church records? She was ready to look for information to verify pieces of the family stories and find documents to fill in the gaps in her family story.

Related resources

Janet found books on organizing genealogy records and conserving the material.

She also learned that the Central Library owns the State of Oregon indexes to deaths, divorces, and marriages within Oregon. Using these keyword searches "oregon index* marriage* " or "oregon index* divorce* "" or "oregon index* death* " she was able to find out which indexes had information (the right time period and Oregon location) to confirm some of the events in her records.

Books

Use the library catalog with keywords "genealogy manuals" to find titles for beginners. These books help you organize your information:

First Steps in Genealogy by Desmond Walls Allen
Organizing Your Family History Search by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Finding Your Roots: how to trace your ancestors at home and abroad by Jeane Eddy Westin

Related Web sites

Janet used these websites to find genealogy forms. The charts helped her find where she had conflicting information. She wondered if she could find out which information was correct.

Ancestors: Charts and Records: http://www.pbs.org/kbyu/ancestors/charts/

From the PBS website for the television series "Ancestors." You can download and print a wide variety of forms on which you can begin recording your family history
Ancestral Chart: http://www.ancestry.com/save/charts/ancchart.htm

From Ancestry.com. You can download blank ancestry charts, correspondence records, research calendars, and more.
Family Tree: Download Forms: http://www.familytreemagazine.com/forms/download.html

Family Tree Magazine offers a wide range of forms to use in your research. Checklists, indexes, census forms, as well as forms to record correspondence, tombstones and artifacts.