How To Research Your Fitzpatrick Ancestors

If you're interested in learning more about your ancestors but don't know where to start, this article will point you in the right direction.

Set Goals

The first step is to set your goals. I recommend setting one or two specific goals rather than vague or overly-ambitious ones. For example, it's better to say "I want to know where my great-grandfather was born." rather than "I want to know more about my great-grandfather's life."

I started my research with two goals: (1) to find out what happened to my grandfather's older brother who left home as a young man and was never heard from again, and (2) to determine who my great-grandfather's parents were. To me, these were mysteries to be solved because no one in my family knew the answers.

The importance of setting reasonable goals should not be underestimated. Finding and analyzing genealogical records takes a lot of time and energy. Finding information about a specific person is much easier than finding information about four generations of a family.

Sources of Information

The main challenge in genealogy is to find and interpret the relevant information. Even in this Internet age, the majority of genealogical information has not been computerized. Therefore, searching for ancestral information is not as simple as buying a computer and surfing the net.

Some of the most accessible information comes from personal knowledge or records, vital records, and census records. Other sources of information includes land records, church records, social security (in the United States), cemetery records, tax records, and so on.

In most cases, you should focus only on those sources that could satisfy your goals. Then the sources can be searched beginning with the records that are the easiest to review.

By setting goals and doing careful planning, it is often possible to find out about your ancestors even though you may have very little information to start with. To this end, I'll describe each of the main sources of information and make recommendations about how to use them.

Much of the information here is specific to the United States. Although other countries may keep similar records, you should read about and understand that country's regulations before attempting to use their records.

The Easiest Approach

Before delving into the do-it-yourself possibilities, I should mention the easiest way to find out about your heritage. It's simply this: hire a professional genealogist!

There are many advantages in hiring a professional genealogist. First, they are experts at finding and analyzing the proper records. Second, they may have sources of information unavailable to you, or that you wouldn't think to look for. Lastly, they save you all the time and leg-work required to look for information in historical societies, state archives, and county and city offices. The obvious disadvantage, of course, is that genealogists do not work for free! Research can cost anywhere from $10 - $50 per hour or more, depending upon your needs. Unless you're on a strict budget or have lots of time on your hands, this is an excellent way to research your family.

Preparing for Research

If you've decide to tackle the research on your own, you should make a few simple preparations. For "field work" (i.e. travel to records offices) you should have a spiral notebook and one or more mechanical pencils. Be sure to have a pencil because, to protect their records, most records offices do not allow pens to be used.

Another worthwhile investment is a computer and a good genealogy program. A computer is a tremendous aid in organizing your information and creating reports. It can also help you plan your research and keep track of the sources you've used. There are many excellent genealogy programs available for under $100.

Personal Knowledge and Records

The first place to look for ancestral information is "in your own back yard"; that is, by talking to your relatives, especially the eldest ones.

Depending upon your goals, you may want to create an ancestor chart. An ancestor chart consists of a set of boxes organized as a tree structure (hence family "tree"). Each box in the tree contains an ancestor's name and possibly other information. The "root" of the tree is a box containing your name. Here's an example:

In your ancestor chart, you'll have two boxes for your parents, four boxes for your grandparents, eight boxes for your great-grandparents, and so on. You will probably be able to fill in the boxes with the names of your parents and grandparents, but determining your great-grandparents may require some research.

For the individual(s) you are researching, be sure to ask everyone in your family if they have some information. Even ask "crazy old Uncle Eddie" because he may be the only one in the family who can provide you with important information!

The quantity and quality of information you get from relatives can vary. Older people tend to be forgetful and talking to them on separate occasions can sometimes help jog their memory. Sometimes relatives have incorrect or misleading information, so you must take care not to believe everything your hear. In a rare instances, relatives may conceal information they consider to be a "family secret" (e.g. an ancestor who was a notorious criminal).

The two most important pieces of information you can get from relatives are: (1) the ancestor's name, and (2) where the ancestor lived and/or died.

When talking to your relatives, be sure to ask about family photos and heirlooms. A bible or other religious book owned by an ancestor is especially valuable because information about family births and deaths were often written down in them.

Likewise, a living or deceased family member may have gotten interested in genealogy years before you did. They may have done considerable research that could help satisfy your goals. Many families have printed books or photocopied lists of family information and photos, but you may have to ask around before you find the information.

Vital Records

After getting as much information as possible from your relatives, it's time to dig into so-called vital records.

Vital records include birth, death, marriage, and divorce information. In the United States, these records are often kept at both the state and county level. In many states, the vital records office is part of the department of health or social services. For a fee, they can normally provide birth or death certificates if you already know the person's name and date or birth/death. Sometimes they are willing to conduct a genealogical search if you know some information, but they will probably not allow you to review the records personally.

At the county level, vital records are usually kept by the county clerk or register of deeds. Although their rules vary, the county offices are usually much more helpful to researchers. In some cases you can review the records personally; in others the clerks must perform searches for a fee. If you visit a county office, it is very important to be polite and follow their rules. Despite being paid a minimal wage, the clerks are usually very helpful to sincere and courteous researchers. On the other hand, rude or belligerent visitors will quickly be shown the exit!

Before contacting or visiting a vital records office, it is helpful to identify the individuals you are looking for and the approximate time period of their birth/death/marriage/divorce. The office may have a master index that can be used to locate a record more quickly. The indexes are usually kept in huge books and alphabetized by surname. Each book of indexes usually spans a decade or two.

In some cases you may not have enough information to locate a vital record directly. On these occasions, you can use the index books to "go fishing" for leads. For example, you may not know the name of all your grandfather's brothers and sisters, so you would have to check all the births for the particular surname to see if the child belonged to your great-grandparents.

Vital records may seem like the ideal way to do research. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.

Most states have vital records only back to the start of statehood; sometimes not even that far back. For example, Wisconsin became a state in 1848 but didn't legally require birth records until 1907. Although many records exist prior to 1907, there is no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for. My great-grandfather, for instance, had twenty children, but birth records exist for only a few of the children.

Vital records can also be misplaced, misfiled, or destroyed. In most cases, fire or flood is the cause of record destruction. Misplace and misfiled records are simply the result of inevitable human error.

Keep in mind that vital records, although "official", can contain errors or omissions. Important information such as a parent's name can be missing or incorrect. This is especially true for death records because the informant (usually a husband or wife) may be grieving and unable to think clearly.

Census Records

The United States has 210 years of census records taken at ten-year intervals from 1790 to 2000. Censuses are required by the United States constitution and they provide invaluable information to genealogical researchers whose ancestors lived in this country.

Due to privacy regulations, only census records more than 72 years old are publicly accessible. The amount and type of information reported varies from census to census, but the older the census the less information it is likely to contain.

Census-taking is performed on a per-household basis. Therefore, each census record begins with the name of the designated "head of household", usually a man. Prior to 1850, only the name of the head of household was listed. After 1850, all residents of the household are included, along with their relationship -- if any -- to the head of household.

If you know where your ancestors lived during a census year, census records are a good place to start looking for details. Microfilm copies of census records can be ordered on a loan basis from the public library. The Family History Centers operated by the Latter Day Saints church also have copies that may be used by anyone. Lastly, most states have a library or government office where you can view census records.

Another option is to purchase copies of the census records on microfilm or a data CD. Microfilm copies can be purchased from various sources, such as Census Microfilm Expeditors, www.censusmicrofilm.com. Both microfilm and CD versions are available from Heritage Quest, www.heritagequest.com. Keep in mind that you'll need access to a microfilm reader in order to use the microfilm copies!

The census records are organized by year, state, and "enumeration district", which is further subdivided into county and city/town/township. There are alphabetical indexes (based on the head of household) for censuses prior to 1850 and partial indexes for other years. The indexes can help you find an ancestor if you don't know where they lived in a particular state. Unfortunately the indexes frequently have errors and omissions (approx. 3-10%).

As you can imagine, the census records take up a lot of space even on microfilm. Therefore, it's common for a repository to have an incomplete set. For example, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin might have census records for Wisconsin since it became a state (1848), but not for any other states. However, you can always order (on loan or by purchase) the particular records you need.

Although census records are very valuable, they can be difficult to use. The original records were handwritten on paper and not all the census takers had good penmanship. The records were not always stored properly and some show evidence of insect, water, and handling damage. Virtually the entire 1890 census was destroyed by a fire. Considering these difficulties, I recommend reading "The Census Book" by William Dollarhide (Heritage Quest publishing, 2000) to get the most from the census records.

Other Records

There are many other places to look for ancestral information, including:

• land records
• church records
• probate records
• court and police records
• social security records
• tax records
• adoption records
• cemeteries and cemetery transcriptions
• medical records
• immigration and naturalization records
• state and local newspapers
• state and local histories / biographies

Naturally, the availability and quality of these records varies considerably. In some cases, you may not be able to obtain the records (e.g. private medical or adoption records). In other cases, the records may not contain information about your ancestor, or you may not know where to find the records. These are the areas where a professional genealogist can be especially helpful.