Let's Start at the Very Beginning

#52Ancestors, Week 1

Sung to the tune of "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music

Researcher to family:

Let's start at the very beginning -
A very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with A-B-C.
But research begins with, "Let me see..."

Family:

"Let me see...?"

Researcher *nods*:

"Let me see."
Genealogists begin with, "Let me see..."
Let me see if I can find the... *family looks confused*

*Researcher sighs*
Ok, let's see if I can make it easier.

Birth, a vital record must
Census, a glimpse of where they lived
Marriage, maiden names are critical
Death, who did they outlive?

News, a clipping you must find
Church, a resource, it is true
Brick wall - I think I must be blind!
And that will bring us back to birth.

Now, researchers… Birth, census, marriage, death, news, church, and brick walls, and so on are only the tools we use to build a tree.

Once you have these tools at your disposal, you can find a million different relatives by mixing it up like this:

Marriage, death, brick wall, birth, census, church, news...

Family:

"Can you do that?"

"But it doesn't mean anything."

Researcher:

When you know which clerk to ring,

You can find most anything.

Family:

But it doesn't mean anything.

Researcher:

So we put it into a GEDCOM, like this:

When you export your family tree,

You may find your ancestry.

*Family sings along, although they still have no idea what the researcher is saying*:

When you export your family tree,

You may find your ancestry.