First Few Steps Can Set You On Course For Fulfulling Hobby

Today’s column is specifically written for those who want step-by-step instructions on how to begin this wonderful hobby of genealogy.

Presented here is “Seven Surefire Steps to Your Family Tree.”

Step No. 1. The very first thing to do is to organize what you already know:

Gather the information you have at home. You probably have many things that will yield genealogy information, like diaries, baby books, baptismal records, draft cards, family pictures and correspondence, funeral programs, life insurance papers, military awards, report cards - and especially scrapbooks.

Study these records and glean tidbits of family information and write it down on special genealogical forms - pedigree and family group charts.

The charts are available with a Thursday visit to the Genealogy Section of the downtown Spokane Public Library, Family History Centers at area Churches of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Southside, 717 E. 30th; 455-7164; Northside, 401 W. Regina, 466-4633; Valley 13608 E. 40th; 924-0551; Coeur d’Alene, 2801 N. 4th, 765-0150; Cheney, West Melville Road; 455-9735), or mail me a stamped, self-addressed envelope, c/o this newspaper, and I will send you a copy of each form.

You can also use a computer software program to keep track of family information.

A pedigree is identification of a person’s direct ancestors. Pedigree charts are begun by listing yourself as No. 1 (I like to say that you are the most important nut on your family tree); next, write down your birthdate and birthplace thusly: 28 Jan 1996. Include the town, county and state of your birth. If you don’t know the county, consult a gazetteer. It’s necessary to know the county since most records are kept on the county level.

List your parents’ and grandparents’ full names, with their birthdates and birthplaces. Also list their marriage dates and places and their death dates and places.

Your parents become No. 2 and No. 3 on your pedigree chart, and your grandparents become Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Because there is no space on the pedigree chart to list brothers and sisters or second marriages, the companion form is the family group chart on which you list the parents and their children. You’ll need a family group chart for every married couple shown on the pedigree chart. You might even need more than one if Grandpa was married more than once.

On the family group chart, list the husband and wife’s full name and identifying information. Usually, there is room for data like occupation, religion, military service. … Next, list each of the couple’s children with their identifying information and spouses.

Where do you get all this information?

Step No. 2. From talking to your family and digging through all that accumulated family “stuff” mentioned earlier.

No public record can substitute for talking to every single family member when you’re beginning this new hobby. Be sure to compare memories. Are the parents you remember different from the parents your youngest brother remembers? The grandfather I knew and the man my first cousin Karen knew must be two different men because our memories are so different.

Step No. 3. Obtain death certificates for your parents, grandparents and other close relatives. Getting the certificates is easy if you know the state in which the person died. Statewide registration of vital records began during the period of 1900-1920, and most states have vital records from about 1910 forward.

To find the address for a state’s vital statistics registration office, visit a genealogy library where you can consult the government pamphlet, “Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorces.” The pamphlet also tells the fee, which can vary from $6 to $25 per certificate, since each state has its own system of charging. For instance, Washington state charges $11; Idaho, $8.

For death certificates after 1920, it’s not necessary to know the city or county of death, but you must have an exact date. If you want officials to search for a span of years, you might have to pay extra.

Standard death certificates from all states include important information about the deceased, but in addition to the cause of death, they can also provide the name of the person’s parents, birthdate and place, as well as the funeral director and cemetery. More recent death certificates provide the deceased’s Social Security number.

Why spend money for a death certificate? Because it often provides other needed elements and clues.

And if you treat your ancestor’s brothers and sisters as equals and obtain their death certificates, too, you will have a wonderful pool of potential genealogy clues. Remember, when Grandpa died, he had very little to do with what was written on his death certificate. Who knew him well enough to fill out the form for him? It’s important to know who that person was.

Step No. 4. Follow up on the clues from the death certificate. If you know the birthdate and place, it might be possible to obtain a birth certificate. That might take a bit of sleuthing, however, for you will probably need to know the county where your ancestor was born and the county’s address. Again, genealogy library folks can help.

If you know the funeral director, contact the funeral home. For addresses of all funeral homes in the United States or Canada, call a funeral director and ask to use the Yellow Book. That’s the directory of funeral homes, which provides the names, addresses and phone numbers for all funeral homes.

“Beginning Steps” continues in next week’s column.

Today’s tip

The Feb. 3 meeting of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society begins at 1 p.m. in the Spokane Public Library’s auditorium, downtown. All interested genealogists are invited to attend. Come see what’s going on with them!

, DataTimes MEMO: Donna Potter Phillips welcomes letters from readers. Write to her at The Spokesman-Review, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. For a response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review