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Gathering information

Janet as a child

Creating a family history is somewhat like solving a mystery. You try to find out the who, when, where, what and how of your family.

Janet grew up hearing family stories from her grandparents, the stories of their parents and grandparents fleeing wars, walking hundreds of miles to reach a destination, meeting famous and/or nortorious people, trouble with the law, sudden death, achieving riches, a famous ancestor. Part of family history is retelling the stories AND finding out what can be proven

As Janet recorded the stories she had heard, she asked other family members for the stories they grew up with. She also looked for letters and photos that might tell new stories.

Related Web sites

Family and Home Information Sources Checklist (pdf)

http://www.byubroadcasting.org/ancestors/charts/oldpdf/checklist1.pdf

From the online companion to the PBS series Ancestors which has been retired to BYUBroadcasting at Bringham Young University. A good checklist to keep you from missing anything as you scour attics, closets, and basements for family documents.