Overview to Family History category

Branches of the Tree

Compiled from a 'Forward' written for Family Folders March 2008.

I started collecting information on my family history in the 1970s, initially from discussions with my Grandmothers. I asked them to tell me about their parents and siblings and it is from these conversations that the collection of information grew.

According to the directions of family history organisations I have accessed over the years, there is no such thing as wrong information when collecting family history - the memories, recollections, perceptions, and interpretations people state are theirs alone. This concept applies to the written record as the 'clerk' who recorded a person's details for the document may not have heard clearly or been able to write clearly or had their handwriting interpreted correctly / accurately. This viewpoint also needs caution as the information does need a factual basis as well and the researcher does need a sensitive and diplomatic presentation on occasion.

Another concept to keep in mind, is that, the events that occurred in the past may have a different societal and possibly cultural significance to the same event today - that is, keep an open mind.

I have collected this information from many different sources, and they are;

• conversations with family and friends of family
• birth, marriage and death certificates
• newspaper clippings of births, marriage and deaths
• shared investigations with other family historians, of whom I am extremely grateful and appreciative of the time and money they would have spent gathering their information and their generosity in sharing
• 'Order of Services' of family who have deceased
• family history websites
• researching texts and journals held in libraries
• visiting / contacting cemetery administrations and obtaining lists of graves

You will find that I have tried to consistently record my source as much as possible against entries, to help with verifying the recorded information.

Many hours and several dollars have been spent gathering this information.
I hope you enjoy and are intrigued with the characters you find within, as I have.

In future posts I will list the families on who I have a focus. I will also list websites that have been of benefit.