This article is intended to provide some general knowledge about genealogy, tracing family history, and being introduced to issues involving surname spelling variations and how they can be addressed through the research process.

Why does everyone in your family spell its surname the same way? Just who decided upon the spelling anyway? One of the challenges genealogists and family historians face is getting to the root of the surname they are researching. Simply put, the name you answer to, sign on checks, and pass on to your own children may be considerably different than the spelling your ancestors used centuries ago. So, what’s with all of the surname changes?

Surname alterations occurred for many reasons. Perhaps there was a lack of concern for accuracy by either the writer or subject person; grammatical inability or name abbreviation by the writer (common during immigration procedures); difficulty understanding the given name (perhaps the writer was of a different nationality, and did not recognize the subject person's spoken words - a common error with census enumerators); simple ‘copycat’ errors (the writer saw and repeated previously misspelled references). In the oldest records, the most common reason for surname variability was simply that it just wasn’t very important. That may be a bit more difficult to understand in today’s society, but years ago, literacy and grammar were not priorities – working, feeding the family, and just staying alive comprised the important events of the time.

My YAKEL surname is actually an “Americanized” variant on the original JÄCKEL and/or JECKEL spelling of my Germanic forefathers. Over the span of 350 years, the name has changed more than 50 times. While the number of name changes over this period may be somewhat surprising, in actuality, the pronunciation has changed very little. I have categorized these name variations mainly into three distinct groups: The “I-Type”, “J-Type”, and “Y-Type” names.

First, there are the “I-Type” names: ICKEL, IEKEL, IKEL. These surnames were used by parts of my family after they had emigrated to New York, and subsequently moved to Iowa in the 1860's. Later, when some of the relatives came full circle and moved back to New York, they maintained the IEKEL spelling. It continues to be spelled this way today.

Next, there are the “J-Type” names, which are closest to the Rheinish German original: JACELIN, JACKAL, JACKALL, JACKEL, JACKELIN, JACKELL, JACQUEL, JAECKEL, JAECHEL, JAECKLE, JAEGER, JAEGLE, JAEKEL, JAGEL, JAGER, JAKAL, JAKEL, JAKELL, JAYKILL, JECHELL, JECKEL, JECKELIN, JECKELL, JEKEL, JEKLE, JEYKILL, JOCKEL, JOECKEL, JOEKEL. When the family first came to America, they used the JACKEL, JECKEL and JEKEL spellings. When parts of the family moved west to Wisconsin in the 1860's, the spelling was modified slightly, to JAEKEL and JAECKEL. It remained that way through the 1980’s, when the last parts of this family branch passed on.

Then, there are the “Y-Type” names: YACKEL, YACKLE, YAEGLE, YAEKEL, YAGAL, YAGEL, YAGER, YAGET, YAGLE, YAGLES, YAKEL, YAKIL, YAKLE, YEAGEL, YEAGLE, YEAKLE, YECKEL, YEKEL, YEOKLE, YICKEL, YICKLE, YOCKEL, YOGEL, YOGLE, YOKEL, YORKEL, YORKELL, YORKLE. The Albany, NY families, of which I am a part, used many of these surname variants. In the early 1870's, the YAKEL spelling took prominence, and all other variants were discarded. Presumably, it was at this time that our family decided that a consistent surname was in its best interest. This spelling continues as the sole surname for my family in the New York Capital region.

So, why all of the odd spellings in my family name? The similarities between all three types of spellings are no coincidence. The German letter “J” is pronounced like the English letter “Y”. Hence, a person asking one of my ancestor’s what their name was, would hear the “J-type” name with a “Y-type” sound. If the person hearing the name was not German, or had no understanding of the German language, they would then interpret this "Y" sound as a “Y-type” word, and write it down that way. This led to the variety of "Y-Type" spellings over the years. On the other hand, someone with knowledge of the German dialect would be more apt to write the name down ‘more correctly’ with a “J-type” spelling, or perhaps an "I-Type" spelling, since the letter "I" could also be used interchangeably with the letter "J".

Census enumerators, priests, doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers, tax collectors, and any other persons with need to write down your family name probably had some input in how it was written, and ultimately, contributed to the surname you now proudly advertise to the world. The name you use now may only be a remnant of your forebears’. However, if you know something about the ethnic background of your family, it may be possible to determine the original surname spelling. Perhaps in another two hundred years, your family name will have changed yet again, leaving your descendants to wonder how their name came to be. Why not make it a little easier, and leave them with some history of your surname. They’ll be happy you did!

Best of luck as you trace your history!



NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.



Source: ArticlesFactory.com
                 by Joseph Yakel

This article is a brief primer on family history resources, research methods, problems and solutions.  It is intended to provide some general knowledge about genealogy, tracing family history, and introduce the reader to the concept of deductive reasoning and how it can be used in the research process. 

People who decide to trace their family histories seem to fall into of two groups: A) they know next to nothing about their family, and need to begin researching from scratch, or B) they already have a good knowledge about their family, but need to document it properly and fill in some blanks. In both instances, the records review will be about the same, albeit it more intense for people in situation A. Researchers rely on numerous public and private resources and records to confirm family connections. I fit these into a couple of categories as well: Primary and Secondary, or Supplementary resources. Both categories of resources are important and fulfill their own purposes in developing the family history. In fact, they share a mutually complimentary effect with one another that should not be overlooked by the diligent researcher, and will be explained hereafter.

Primary sources are the biggies, such as civil and church records describing births, baptisms, confirmations, marriage, and deaths, census data, naturalization records, newspaper articles, family bibles, and grave markers. All of these records contain hard facts, with names, dates and family relationship landmarks, and serve as the foundation and structure for the family members you are researching.

The Secondary or Supplementary resources provide filler information. You may think of these resources as the ones that add details to bind and hold the structure and foundation together. In other words, they round out the histories of the family members you are discovering. These resources include city directories, tax rolls, voter registrations, property indentures, letters, local history books, photographs, and oral history. Don’t discount these resources! They provide excellent details and can be crucial as you progress through your research work.

If you are starting your research from scratch, many people find that the best way to begin the tracing process is to start with yourself and work your way backward. You should consider the important facts, events and dates related to your own life, and what you know about any siblings, and your parents. It’s best to keep a notebook handy to jot things down as you begin your investigation. I also recommend using a reputable genealogy software program to input your research data and notes. After recording details about yourself, your siblings and parents, move back to your grandparents, being careful to document your reference sources as you regress. This lays out the basic foundation for your family tree. Continue your research in this methodical manner.

I liken the research process to that of an ebb tide. It is a back and forth flow of information, with highs and lows related to the amount of information available during particular periods in our history. You may actually find it harder to research family history in the 20th century than it is in the 19th century. Why? Well, one reason is the federal census, or lack thereof. Census information can only be released to the public after 72 years. The 1930 Federal census, released in 2002, is the most recent federal census available. Access to other recent public records, such as birth certificates, can also be much more difficult to come by. I have found that records from the mid-to-late 1800’s through the early 1900’s seem to be most plentiful. As one regresses in time prior to the mid-1800’s, public records become increasingly more difficult to find.

Consequently, one of the major problems with regressive research is that it becomes increasingly difficult to verify family ties. Older records may be missing first names, surnames, list only initials, or be so poorly written that they lack sufficient or specific details to bind a connection (such as linking a child to parents in a birth record, or linking a woman to her parents in a marriage record). Another ‘show stopper’ problem is that, eventually, the researcher will 'hit the wall' with the regressive research, and reach a point where there simply aren’t any written records left to review. Generally, as one regresses further and further in time, the more difficult it becomes to verify family relations.

These problems are more often the rule, rather than the exception, for 'common folk'. Researching families of stature or royalty is often less onerous (up to a point), because these people have well documented historical references. With an abundance of additional documentation and history to rely on, royals and families of status can be traced back, in some cases, hundreds of years further than common stock families. Rest assured, however, that one will eventually hit the wall no matter who is being researched. For common people, the wall is usually reached sooner, which translates into the verified lineage with a smaller number of generations than that of royalty.

However, all is not lost if royal blood does not course through your veins and leaves of stature do not fill the branches of your family tree. It may be possible to extend your reach, and bridge ‘the wall’ for a period of time. For starters, your research must be exceedingly thorough and balanced in approach. If it is, and the conditions are right, you may be able to use a deductive reasoning technique in your research processes to bridge the wall.

What do I mean by this? First let me tell you what deductive reason is not. It is no guessing game, a stab in the dark, or a linkage of names simply because you have found someone else with a family tree with the same surnames as yours.

Deductive reasoning involves using a foundation of known information, and analyzing it in such a way as to make valid, objective, educated arguments for a family ancestral connection. Making such a case requires multiple pieces of information, oftentimes with supplementary resources, that logically tie personal circumstances together, consider facts that would otherwise exclude or negate the relationships in question from being established (in other words, it would take into account known details that would clearly contradict the relationship that the researcher merely 'wants' to make), and at the same time, having met those prior conditions, methodically and logically seems to 'fit' in with the known family history. The more pieces of complimentary facts and information that can be considered, obviously, the stronger the case becomes. Depending upon the particulars, there may not be enough additional supplementary resources to make a deductive reasoning insofar as establishing an additional family tie.

In my own case, I was able to apply the deductive reasoning approach with great success. My family lineage stopped six generations back. However, I had strong suspicions of linkage between my 6th generation ancestor and those who I believed were his 7th generation parents. No single piece of information explicitly showed this relationship. Partial names on birth certificates, marriage records, etc., prevented a definitive family tie from being established. However, additional details, like birth dates, Godparents names on baptismal records, names of marriage witnesses, references to known siblings, and other supplementary details were enough to bridge this wall, and conclude that a direct family tie existed between the 6th generation male and the 7th generation parents.

Once I made this connection, I was able to follow the 7th generation father back another two generations. So, it was the deductive reasoning technique that bridged the research wall, and gave me three full generations of lineage to claim as my own. I hit the next wall when I determined the 9th generation father. This wall was reached when my research records ran out. This time frame was about the 1600’s, when the first written church records began in the Rhine area where my ancestors once lived. With no earlier records to review, I do not have enough secondary resources to deduce further ties earlier than the 9th generation family. However, I continue to research, and if I come across additional resources, I may, yet again, be able to bridge the genealogy wall.

Reviewing my case, I was reasonably sure that the family tie I deduced, based upon all of the evidence I had collected, validated and objectively compared, and not being contradictory to anything already relevant to my known ancestors, was enough to confirm this 6th-7th generation relationship.

As it so happens, about a year after I had used my deductive reasoning technique to determine this linkage, a friend from Germany sent me some very old records he had obtained. Included therein was proof positive that the father-son link I had deduced was, in fact, correct. Obviously this proof pleased me, but it went further, confirming my own objective, meticulous genealogical research processes. That confirmation was quite satisfying.

Deductive reasoning is not a technique that can be applied by everyone, but it is a possible solution to consider when you’ve hit the genealogy wall, and are looking for a way to break through it.

Best of luck as you trace your history!



NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.


Source: ArticlesFactory.com
                 by Joseph Yakel

For those who are searching for family history information, there are a wealth of resources available. These resources can extend from living people, to documents, to government records, to letters, to photographs, to heirlooms that are passed down from generation to generation. By utilizing these resources, you can find all manner of family history information that may just surprise you.

The first place to look for family history information is with living family members. You family members will be more than happy to tell you their own stories, their own memories, and their own opinions about the events and people who shaped who they are today. As well, there are family members who may have already done their own investigations of family history and they will be more than happy to give that information to someone, such as yourself, who is interested in learning more. Family history information is meant to be shared and anyone who has this information wants to share it.

As well, family members can provide you with old photographs, letters, documents and heirlooms that will give whole new depth and direction to your quest for knowledge. Photographs are often useful for seeing people, where they were, and what they were doing. With a little bit of investigation, a photograph in a place you do not recognize will tell you where they were when that photograph was taken. As well, letters are very useful not only for the information they provide, but addresses and return addresses. Heirlooms are often accompanied by stories and family lore that may not always be entirely true, but are family history information all their own. Not quite true stories are often somewhat true. And the lies people tell are often as telling about those people as the actual truths!

As well, a thorough search of governmental records can provide vast amounts of family history information. These slices of bureaucratic gobbledygook are useful because they are almost always entirely true. A land deed needs to be exact, because it is used to determine possession in a court of law. Governments like to know that their information is rock-solid. And governmental information can quickly be turned into family history information, be it death certificates, birth certificates, or just a few lines from a court case that can provide you with information about one of your ancestors. Even if you do not feel like diving into the morass of government documents that could easily swallow a person whole, there are professionals that you can hire to search through these records and unearth the names, places, and dates that you desire.

If you are looking for family history information, you can search in any number of places. Start with people you know, then work out to people you know a little bit, then extend out into people who you may not know at all, but are willing to talk about your family. With a little bit of effort, you can learn a great deal about who your relations were, who your relations are, and just what made those people tick. And then you can proudly call these people family.



NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.


Source: ArticlesFactory.com
                 by Trevor Dumbleton

A Family tree is a wonderful way to understand and explain the several generations and people which were present in the family at some time. These can be easily searched by performing local research at the library, online databases, and online government records.

In the past years, most people have been seen interested in searching out their genealogies.  This may be because people are feeling the stress and alienation brought about by industrialization, and wish to have a tangible evidence of their family at hand. Also, more and more people have traveled away from their countries of origin in order to establish themselves in other countries. In many cases, people like these would like to have something to remember the place and the family members that they had left behind. Having a wonderfully made family tree  is something to be proud of.

However, other people would simply like to know where their ancestors came from. If you are one of these, who would like to track down your family tree, then here are a few helpful suggestions to aid you in your search.

First, if you are still living in a place where many of your ancestors lived, then you may want to do a bit of research and detective work at your local library. Interestingly enough, local and state libraries often have archives of many helpful documents, such as censuses, marriage and death certificates, and even microfiches of old society newspapers. Old high school and college yearbooks can also be a good source of data. If you belong to a family that used to be very prominent in your local area, then chances are that you will hit upon gold in the library and you can use that to find out other information. You will also find that the local librarians are often very helpful and are in fact skilled in helping people track down their genealogies. Using the library to help track down one’s family tree is very useful for people who have time on their hands. One advantage of this is that you can learn a lot and using the library’s services is usually free of charge.

Second, you can use an online database or an online company to help you track down your family tree. Using some ancestral information, an online company can quickly search through a database containing millions of people in order to trace your genealogical records. Search sites such as these usually offer to track down your family tree for a reasonable fee. Once the full records are available, you will be able to view them quickly. This option is probably best for people who do not have the time and the patience to do independent research, as well as those persons who have little information on their family background and those who have moved several times from their place of origin.

Finally, government search sites are also available off the Internet. If you wish, you can enter your name and search through government-owned records for the information that you need.  One example of this is the family records site of the United Kingdom. It’s worth a try to search through this site. You may even be surprised as to how much documentation your government has about you and your family.



NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.


Source: ArticlesFactory.com
                 by Abraham Antony

Creating a family tree is a fun and educational pastime that will allow you to delve into the history of your family, your ancestors, and all those people who have branched out into the large collection of people known as your extended family. These easy to read and easy to create charts of your genealogy are engaging ways to begin your studies of your own family. And, by creating a family tree, you can add your own piece to your family's historical record.

When creating a family tree, the easiest place to start is with the person you know best: yourself. Write your name in a rectangle on a sheet of paper. Draw a vertical line from that rectangle. Then draw a horizontal line at the tome of the vertical line such that it forms a T-shape. Draw rectangles on the right and left ends of the cross of the T. In the left rectangle, put your father's name, and in the right, your mother's.

The next step in creating a family tree is to draw a horizontal line extending across the base of the T. Draw as many vertical lines from this horizontal line as you have siblings. At the end of each vertical line, draw a rectangle. In each rectangle, write a sibling's name. The family tree for your immediate family is now complete.

Now you can go further in creating a family tree. From both your father's and mother's rectangles, draw the T-shape and rectangles that you drew above your own rectangle. Put the names of your father's parents on your father's side and your mother's parents on your mother's side. At the base of each T, put horizontal lines with vertical lines extending down for each of your father's siblings and your mother's siblings. Place the required rectangles at the ends of the lines and fill in your aunts and uncles.

Now you can attach various aunts and uncles by marriage to their respective spouses with horizontal lines. Extend vertical lines from each horizontal line and extend them out to include each of your cousins. The format will become clear as you are creating a family tree for your particular family.

The structure and format for these trees should be fairly clear. Horizontal lines mean marriage. Vertical lines illustrate descent. Thus, the various generations of your family will begin to demarcate themselves and you will be able to see how you are connected to all of them.

Creating a family tree is a fun little way to show the depth of your known ancestors and the breadth of your extended family. And as you fill in everyone you know, you can ask for more information from family members to find out new names and new people that will extend your family out that much more. And with each successive generation added from your family's history, you will be able to extend your family tree out to third, fourth, fifth cousins and beyond. Just start with who you know and you will soon learn things that you never imagined.



NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.


Source: ArticlesFactory.com
                 by Trevor Dumbleton

If you are keen in genealogy and family history, but have not ventured on internet yet, then it is just the time. There are many sources waiting for you to utilize, and the best part is that these are absolutely free.

Internet proffers tremendous array of records, databases and many other sources for searching about family trees. Getting acquainted with where and how to search on internet is must for a genealogist using web for his research, and devoid of this information, he may end up just spinning his wheels, nothing else. Important strategies to find family history on the internet

Researching with skills: It is not as simple as inputting names and then clicking enter, the search engines offer an easy access to several genealogy sources. It can help one focus on his search for family root web pages and surnames, while advanced search techniques can aid him seek out photographs, and living relatives.

Locating previous search: For many individuals, there may be chances that a part of their family tree has been already climbed. Several online family history databases provide simple access to various previously searched trees and often give contact details of researcher.

Digging into databases: For those who do not have time to research, or visit libraries or archives, internet is unquestionably a tremendous source for digitized records and genealogy data bases.

Learning how they dwelled: Internet acts as ‘virtual worldwide library’ and makes a perfect source for putting one’s ancestors in context. From historical newspapers, one can get deep insight into neighboring customs and culture, while with online gazetteers one can spot geographical location of ancestral town, or village.

Expanding knowledge level: Arriving at the limit of internet genealogy abilities does not signify that nothing is left to explore on the internet. One needs to expand his hunting abilities through discussion forums, research groups, classes and tutorials. He should know how to expand his researches to offline, adequately document and then publish genealogy research or even better use online genealogy sources.

Genealogical search needs a perfect blend of persistence and patience, and searching on internet is just a part of process. A successful search is best realized by working backward a generation, reviewing original sources like census documents, vital records and other materials along with internet resource. One should always take into account to arrange the information properly as soon as he finds it.




NOTE: Be sure to click on the 'Research Help' or 'Research Tools' tabs above for information or for services to assist you with help in getting started or researching and compiling your family history.


Source:  ArticlesFactory.com
             by Abraham Antony

Each one of us would like to have an insight into our past generations with regard who our fore fathers were, what did they do for a living, and so forth.

Though the task may seem to be very interesting at first glance, yet it could prove to be quite a cumbersome task while tracing to our immediate predecessors, let alone the details of previous 3-4 generations. One does not have to get disheartened as where there is a will, there is a way. With the useful tips given below, you can sure reduce the burden but still you would have to put in some effort to create an ideal family tree website.

One of the most convenient sources available is Active searches using the internet. Internet has become the virtual repository of information in the modern era of today. Using reputed search engines, you just need to type in the keywords ‘family history or genealogy’ in the search field and you have a whole long list of online sites related to tracing of family history and creating a family tree. Browse through some sights to have an overview of ways and means to retrieve information. Now the question that comes across one’s mind is to how to choose the right site from the whole lot. Given below are some tips to help you decide on a particular genealogy website:

1. Read through brief description of at least 4 - 5 sites. Short list the most appealing ones on a piece of paper. Compare what each one has to offer and choose the one that best suits your requirements and budget. However, it is to be remembered that the paid sites offer specialized services which may not be otherwise available on free sites such as photographs, data, records etc.

2. If you do not want to go in for any of these paid sites you can opt for free genealogy website. Register on this site and carry on the search.

3. You can take advantage of the services of government owned and operated website. Since they are managed by the government, the reliability factor is slightly high as compared to free and paid sites.

4. Once you have made up your mind, register and pay subscription amount if necessary and begin your search.

Once this crucial decision is taken, just follow the simple instructions and use your creativity to draw out a family tree. It basically begins with the names of current generation which then branches out into include siblings of the immediate ancestor and this continues till a tree like structure is formed, hence the name Family Tree. You can add aesthetic pleasure by adding photos or just keep it in the form of plain textual record containing vital information like birth, death, residence, profession and whole lot of other information depending on your tastes and interests. Such a genealogy website would enable every member to have access to it, post comments and make changes accordingly without much of a hassle. You can also secure this website by entering in password to facilitate limited accessibility.





Source:  ArticlesFactory.com
             by Abraham Antony