The 1976 publication of Alex Haley’s novel Roots conveyed a powerful message: “Every family has stories worth telling and pasts that can be uncovered,” says Elizabeth Shown Mills, a historical researcher and genealogist. “This was a radical thought to generations bored by classroom history that seemed so unconnected to modern lives.”
Mills is a past president of the American Society of Genealogists and the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and developed and headed the advanced methodology track at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham. She also has penned 13 books, including the 2004 historical novel Isle of Canes and Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace.
“Genealogy is history, up close and personal,” explains Mills. “No matter who we are, our own families helped create this world we live in. Knowing their…[CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.]
Let the search for your roots begin.
Start with yourself. Interview your parents and all family elders. Ask for permission to copy family papers and mementos. Get their stories, but also get specific names, dates and places. You’ll need those to pursue research.
Get a good how-to book. Take some time to learn about genealogy and the records that exist before entering the Google abyss to start your search. It will help you avoid making naïve mistakes about identity and kinship.
Explore the Internet wisely. It is tempting touse information from online family trees, but many trees lack historical documentation and are ripe with fantasy and false assumptions made by beginners who just “collected names” that appear to match. When you find a “ready-made” tree online, never ever merge it with your own. Doing that is genealogy’s equivalent of unsafe sex! It’s okay…[CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINING TIPS.]
