WikiTree Community Blog

As I was looking over my history of contributions here on WikiTree, I began to wonder where genealogy – as a study and as a hobby - had its roots. In actuality man has always had a fascination with leaving traces of his (and her) existence behind. Think of the Paleolithic cave paintings dating back to 30,000 BCE or the intricate Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphs left to symbolize the tombs of ancient rulers including that of King Tut and like those found on a stone sarcophagus in Alexandria. Thought to have belonged to Alexander the Great, the hieroglyphs revealed the tomb of Egyptian ruler Nectanebo II when deciphered.

Centuries later, genealogy played a vital role in kinship and determining descendants of royalty. The heir to the thrones of Queen Elizabeth I, who never married, nor had any children, and King Charles II were both determined using genealogy. The English tradition of keeping family records would extend to the New World when the General Assembly of Virginia required that vital records be kept in the Colonies. Renewed interest in genealogy would emerge after notable events such as the American Revolution when Thomas Paine wrote the infamous editorial Common Sense and Word War II when General James Doolittle earned a Medal of Honor for planning and leading the notorious Doolittle Raid.

Because of its influence on culture and civilization, the world’s first genealogical society - The New England Historic Genealogical Society – was founded in 1845 only twenty years after the creation of Braille by Louis Braille and forty-five years before Flora (Florence) Darling Adams established the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Even popular culture and technology have propelled genealogy into the limelight. The novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, and television mini-series of the same name, caused an uptick in genealogy interest in the late 1970s. And today – with the Internet firmly in place – people are flocking online to discover their ancestors and family origins using tools such as WikiTree. It’s a whole new world for tracking family history!

And these are the roots of genealogy - at least from this hobbyist’s perspective.

Genealogists and family tree hobbyists often rely on vital records to put the pieces of their historical puzzles together. But what happens when a vital record is missing or simply not available? Does the quest stop there? It doesn’t have to as long as you know where to look and what resources can help fill in the blanks.

For starters, state, local and federal governments offer a wealth of information. Census data, land and property records and similar documentation can often provide little details to help you understand where to look next or possibly who to contact. State censuses, for example, can give you a heads up as to whether your ancestors moved (in between censuses); while earlier federal censuses tell how many years a couple was married and whether or not it was a first or second marriage. In addition, federal censuses provide details on births for everyone in the census including month, year, state and country of birth and the state or country where an individual’s parents were born. Check with state libraries on obtaining copies of state-level census reports. For federal census data, check with the U.S Census Bureau or the National Archives. When an official marriage certificate is not available, try looking at land and property records, military pension papers and emigration and naturalization records.

Newspapers are also a great place to check. Specifically, look for data provided in obituaries, birth, engagement, marriage and anniversary announcements and also local articles that tell a bit of history about a person or place. You’d be surprised what can be pulled directly from a newspaper search. Google offers a handy news archive search. The Library of Congress maintains one of the most extensive newspaper collections in the world, with over 9,000 U.S. newspaper titles and 25,000 non-US newspaper titles. You might also consider visiting a local Family History Center. And finally, there is the U.S. Newspaper Program, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. They have worked to locate, catalog, and centralize newspapers published in the U.S. from the eighteenth century to current day. Their national database is maintained by the Online Computer Library Center and can be accessed through the free FirstSearch service at thousands of participating libraries across the United States.

Yet another place to look is biographical indexes and databases, which contain vital information on people living in the 20th century. The most well-known example is Who’s Who in America. Various state and university libraries also have databases of information available. At the very least you’ll find the Biography and Genealogy Master Index CD-ROM extremely beneficial. You can typically find these at libraries, order one via Amazon or pick one up at your local bookstore.

I mentioned military pension records earlier in the post, but you also access service records for those who took part at one time or another in a U.S. war (through the Spanish American War). These records are available at the National Archives and all field branches, state and university libraries and also genealogical record repositories. Check the Consolidated Index of Confederate Veterans and the National Personnel Records Center for those who participated in World Wars I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Schools and universities also keep detailed records on their students, alumni and faculty. Within these transcripts are the names of parents, emergency contacts, addresses, phone numbers and so on. And yet another source to check is employment records. The federal government keeps archives of all civilian employees, while other employment records can be obtained through the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections found at the Library of Congress and other major libraries.

So these are the substitutes for “living” docs, but what about death records? If those are unavailable who you gonna call? (Yes, sadly, I was headed in the direction of Ghostbusters.) Seriously, the following can often be used in place of officially death records: coroner’s reports, obituaries, probate and court records, funeral home archives, social security death index, census mortality records and cemetery files/databases.

No vital records? No problem.  Start your search today!

As I was researching the life and family history of the great American artist Norman Rockwell this past week, I came across the cover of the October 24, 1959 edition of the Saturday Evening Post. It featured a symbolic family tree (shown here) created by Mr. Rockwell. At first glance it looked very different from a great many of his works. But upon closer inspection, it was obvious that he was doing what he had often done in so many of his paintings: he was suggesting something powerful through illustrative interpretation. This tree – this glorious, quirky, indifferent tree – was Rockwell’s way of showing the true density of America’s roots and heritage; that people as a race and as a planet of living, breathing creatures are all seemingly connected. Maybe this explains my new-found fascination with genealogy and why I find myself so excited to dive into the life and times of people I never had the pleasure of meeting – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), John Jay and, of course, Norman Rockwell.

My experiences here on WikiTree and through exploring the works of Mr. Rockwell have taught me a few things about genealogy. At the end of the day, it’s not just about DNA or one’s chemical makeup. And it’s certainly not about complex trees woven into knotted branches by fancy software or HTML programming. In fact, it’s not even about the possibility of being related to the great Rockwell himself. Genealogy is about simplicity; it’s about relationships and the connections of common man (and woman); that Yankees and Confederates, pirates and preachers all share a common bond. Humanity. It may not always be in the compassionate sense, but from a historical perspective – the people on Rockwell’s tree and yes, even you and I, are somehow connected. That’s genealogy…

WikiTree has seen a flurry of activity the past few weeks with many cool, courageous, crazy and otherwise cantankerous figures from history popping up all over our clever, creative site! (I know – enough with the adjectives that start with ‘c’!)

This weekend I was immersed in tracing the routes of renowned English philosopher John Locke and eccentric US President James Madison, while others were busy recreating the ancestries of the revolutionary Thomas Paine, valley forging General Henry Knox and world conquering Alexander the Great.

But the history doesn’t stop there. Here’s a partial list of who’s new on WikiTree:

Dale Earnhardt (NASCAR racing legend)
Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
John Hancock (famous signer of the Declaration of Independence)
Edward Hopper (American realist painter and printmaker)
General Robert E. Lee (Civil War general)
Charles Lindbergh (historic aviator)
Jackie Robinson (first African-American MLB player)
Orville and Wilbur Wright (brothers famous for building the world’s first successful aircraft)

If you have some knowledge of a particular individual’s ancestry, you are encouraged to add to their tree and biographical timeline. WikiTree is all about collaboration and creating knowledge together.

Today we live in a world where the nuclear family is no longer the dominant family structure. In fact, blended families are now the norm rather than the exception - playing a fundamental role in the lives of many individuals… including mine. That’s why I love the fact that here on WikiTree all family types and relationships are embraced – making it easy to get my unique extended family online. The easiest way to do it is the order in which it actually happened. For example:

1. Create your page.
2. Add your first husband/wife as spouse.
3. Add children from either person’s page.
4. Replace first husband/wife with the second husband/wife from your page.
5. Add children from either person’s page.
6. Repeat the cycle (if you have children from other relationships/marriages).

If any of this isn’t as you expect, you can just go to the person’s page and change it. And, feel free to invite other biological parents and relatives to add to the family history of your stepchildren. It’s a great way to show you care and form positive relationships.

Enjoy!

Aside from working on my own family time line, I have been busy adding two great historical figures to WikiTree. Please join me in welcoming King George III and Laura Ingalls Wilder to the WikiTree family! Both George and Laura have earned respectable spots in history - remembered for certain acts and achievements. George William Frederick holds the prestige of being one of the longest reigning monarchs to preside over the United Kingdom – born into a life of power, luxury and influence. Laura Ingalls Wilder, a celebrated author, was born into a pioneering family whose greatest treasures were simple – land, life and love. George lived in a vast palace; Laura a “Little House.” Under George III, the British Agricultural Revolution reached its peak. During Laura’s time agriculture was just as important – it was necessary for survival.

Although their lives were very different, George and Laura did share some common sentiments. They were each very committed to their spouses and were very family-oriented. So in essence, they have also earned their rightful spots here on WikiTree. Please share in their journeys by adding facts, names and photos to their family trees. It’s fun to relive history!

When it comes to history, I have a love for the Elizabethan Era or the Golden Age – which is the period associated with Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603). She’s my hero and the one person that I would want to meet if I could travel back in time. I have started a tree for her historical family timeline here on WikiTree, and you are invited to share in this journey. Become a trustee over Elizabeth’s legacy!

On the flip side, I also enjoy traveling further back in time to Ancient Rome. The individuals I am most obsessed with from this period are Julius Caesar, Marc Antony and of course, the divine Cleopatra. Yes, she was an Egyptian queen – a goddess in her own right – but she had a remarkable way of capturing the eye and hearts of Roman men. Much mystery surrounds the dynasties that existed during the time that Rome transferred from a mere Republic to an extraordinary Empire. Part of this mystique surrounds a child.

If you are not familiar with the history of Cleopatra and Caesar, it is said that on 47 BC the queen gave birth to a son, Ptolemy Caesar who was also called Caesarion (meaning “little Caesar”). Although Cleopatra insisted the child was his, Caesar would not claim the boy as his heir – instead choosing his grand-nephew Octavian. This brings me to my so-called conundrum. There are a ton of family trees on the Internet depicting the family history of Caesar. None that I am aware of show Caesarion on his so-called father’s tree. Now, this really isn’t a showstopper because Octavian had Caesarion murdered before he had fathered any children. But placing the young Caesarion on the great Caesar’s tree would show some interesting relationships with Cleopatra’s extended family. Fascinating stuff! If only Doc Brown had created a reliable time machine!

Okay… So if you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering why I am rambling on about these colorful figures from history and interested in seeing Caesar’s tree with Cleopatra brought into the mix. It’s actually got to do with your family tree. By fleshing out your roots, you never know who might appear on your timeline…or who should appear on it. Could you be an ancestor of the great Caesar? Is a long lost relative someone of prominence?

If you’re dying to find out whose bloodlines you’re connected to, get busy. Start recreating your family history here on WikiTree. It’s worth the journey. Just imagine the possibilities! Elvis…George Washington…Einstein. Wow.