Week 30: Easy #52Ancestors

After what I wrote last week, can I really talk about genealogy being “easy”? Well, “yes” and let me explain.

My husband and I went to our neighborhood pool yesterday for the first time in ages. We had two friends join us and they and my husband jumped into the deep end of the pool to cool off (105° heat index at 5 PM). Meanwhile, I was babysitting our adorable 2-year-old neighbor and we headed off to the kiddie pool to cool off. 

See where I am going with this?

If you are thinking about jumping into the genealogy waters and maybe all my talk about the GPS last week put you off. Don’t worry: just think about starting out in the kiddie pool. Michael Phelps didn’t become an Olympic champion the first time he jumped into a pool. And, lucky for you, there is plenty of help out there to get you started and guide you on your way.

So, let’s see – where should you start? 

The advice a newbie will always get is “start with what you know.” That is, start with yourself. Then your parents. Then your grandparents. Etc. I know it’s tempting to jump to that legendary Revolutionary War hero or your ancestor who came from Ireland during the famine, but trust me, unless you start with yourself, you won’t be able to get back to those ancestors with any confidence in your research. And never fear, if they are really in your tree, they’re not going anywhere.

Here are a few links to get you started:

·     FamilySearch.org: https://www.familysearch.org/home/etb_gettingstarted

·     National Genealogical Society: https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/getting-started/

·     The Midwest Genealogy Center: https://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy/get-started

If you are ready to dive into some actual records, the most recently published U.S. Census is from 1940 and most of you should be able to find at least your grandparents there. In the 1940 census, you will find the name of every person in the household as of April 1, 1940. You will find their sex, race, age at last birthday, marital status, place of birth, and so on.[1] You will also find a lot of employment information on anyone 14 years or older and their income in 1939. If you are really lucky, your grandparents will be part of the 5% of the population that also answered about 15 supplemental questions asking about the birthplace of their parents, language spoken at home, veteran status, etc.[2] My mother was one of those who were asked those extra questions, but as a 17-year-old school girl, she had little to add to the family story.

Once you find your grandparents in 1940, you can go back in time through the censuses in ten-year increments to find them and their parents. Some states even had their own census. If your family is from New Jersey (like mine), you should be able to find your ancestors every five years beginning in 1850 until 1910 (except for 1890, where most of the U.S. census records were destroyed in a fire).[3]

Of course, if you want your family tree without all the work, you can always hire me.

[1]“Questions Asked on the 1940 Census,” The National Archives (https://1940census.archives.gov/questions-asked.asp: accessed 20 July 2019).

[2]Ibid.

[3]New Jersey conducted a census in 1885, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915. Ann S. Lambert, “New Jersey,” State Census Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1992), 80-81. “Availability of the 1890 Census,” The United States Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/history/www/genealogy/decennial_census_records/availability_of_1890_census.html: accessed 20 July 2019).

This is the 1940 U.S. census for my mother and her parents and brother. Her dad was the manager of a tavern. She and her brother were in school. 1940 U.S. census, Essex County, New York, population schedule, Newark, Ward 9, p. 62A (penned), enumeration district 25-211, line 12-15, Charles Maier; NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 2418.

My absolutely adorable neighbor.