It Starts With Y-O-U

Yup.  It all starts with you.  Little, bitty you.  No one else, but you.

You do know "you," don't you?  If not, grab a mirror and look.  "You" meet, well, "you".


There.  Now that the introductions are over, let's get down to business, shall we?

Genealogy starts with you.  Then you work backwards.  Why?  Because you know yourself the best.  You have witnessed most everything that's happened to you.  [Even if you didn't want to do so.]  For example, you were there when you were younger and you skinned your knee for the upteenth time while riding your bike down that gravel road.  You were there on your first date and you were half-scared out of your mind and half-excited, so much you wanted to throw-up.  You were there when you took your driver's test, and you were scared half out of your mind and half-excited, so much that you wanted to throw-up.  [Again.]  And if you have married, for better or worse, you were there at your wedding, half-scared out of your mind and half-excited, so much you wanted to throw-up.  [Huh.  Scared and sick, much?]

Get the picture?  You.  Were.  There.  You know yourself the best.  In fact, you're an expert on yourself.

Now.  What official documents do you have that prove "you"?  Birth certificate, marriage certificate, social security card, photos, etc.  Locate these types of documents.  This is your first genealogy directive.

What do you mean you don't have your birth certificate?  Well, O.K., then.  Here's your second genealogy directive.   Get it.  Now.  Like, yesterday.  Call whomever you need to call in your family who might have it.  [If you are still able to do so, call your parents].  Just do whatever you need to do to get a copy of your birth certificate.  [No, don't rob a bank.  Silly, a bank won't have your birth certificate.  Oh, and robbing is bad.  In fact, it's against the law.  So don't do that.]  Depending on the state you were born in, you should be able to find your birth certificate at the city, county, or state level.  To obtain your birth certificate by mail, FamilySearch.org has a listing of addresses and other pertinent data located here.  You can also Google The Department of Health in the state you were born and follow their online instructions for ordering.  Or if you are in a hurry, you can order it online at MyVitalRec.com or at VitalChek.com.


If you need to order your birth certificate, then do it.  It really doesn't cost very much.  And you really need it.  Not just for genealogy. 

If you have it now or when you receive it, take a look at it.  In fact take a real good look at all of your official documents.  Yes, you can take a look at the photos too, but do get back to the documents.  [What were you thinking when you decided to wear your hair like that?  And on your wedding day, too.  Well, I guess what they say is true.  Love is blind. *wink*]

Getting back to the documents.  Take a real good look at them.

Look at every single detail on them.

So tell me.  I'm dying to know.  Is there anything incorrect on your official documents?  Are you who you thought you were?  If not, what's different?  What did you not know about "you"?  Tell me [and everyone else] in the comments below.  NOTE: Don't tell us exact details though.  We want to keep "you" as "you".  We don't want someone to steal "you".  Then "you" wouldn't be "you" anymore.  Then where would "you" be?  Lost.  That's what.  And in a real big mess too.  Just let me and others know in general about the proof of "you".

Here.  I'll go first.



Sometime after coming through customs on our way back from our honeymoon in Cancun, I lost my birth certificate.   [I know I made it through customs because I'm here.  I'm clever like that.]  Anywho, before I lost it, I had noticed there was a misspelling of my mother's maiden name.  An extra "k" had found its way into her name.  So, I sent off for a new one.  I was excited to be able to correct the spelling of her name.  I received it in the mail and tore open the envelope to find that maybe the state government ought to do a better job at screening their employees.  At least give them a spelling test.  Or an editing test.  Or something.  'Cause they misspelled it.  Again.  It was a different mistake.  But still wrong.  They typed a "D" for a "B".  Who knew consonants were so much trouble?  [Rolling eyes heavenward.]  So, how 'bout yours?

This Is Where It All Starts

O.K., maybe not all and technically speaking, we're kind of looking for where it all started with our families.  Right?  If not, read on maybe I'll interest you.

I decided to start this blog because I'm often asked, "So, how do I go about finding my family story?"

Truth be told though, it's not out of the blue like that usually.  Rather it's after I answer the ever-so-popular question, "So what do you do?"  And then the next question is always, "Did you see that show, "Who Do You Think You Are?"  [*Snort.* Did I see WDYTYA?  You mean the only show that was on at the time that has to do with my all-consuming passion?  Nah.]  The next comment is, "I don't know who my ancestors are, but I loved that show." [Yeah, me too.]  

Great-Aunt Bernice 
©Copyright 2010 C.E. Pointer

Or they have a Great-Aunt Bernice who already found their lineage all the way back to the Mayflower.  Now that last one always makes me laugh.  [In my head of course.]  [If you haven't caught on by now, my thoughts ~usually sarcastic~ are in brackets.]  It would be very surprising to me if all of your lines led back to the Mayflower.  Come on.  There were ships before the Mayflower and many after.  That statement always makes me think, "What about all those who didn't come on the Mayflower?  I mean, what were their stories?"  And if that's all you know about your ancestors, then you especially need to go huntin' for your kinfolk.  I'm just not really impressed with the Mayflower statement.  It tells me you don't really know about your ancestry.  [Unless you can back it up with proof and stories and that you do realize not all your lines go back to the Mayflower.]  Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that Mayflower statement, I  would be a very rich woman.  [Really, how do I get a Great-Aunt Bernice with a purported Mayflower lineage?]

Anyhow,  I thought that maybe if I found Great-Aunt Bernice for you, she could probably help you, but, alas, I've "Googled" great-Aunt Bernice and I can't find her and her lineage back to the Mayflower, so I thought that I could probably give you some tips and hints, for what they're worth, to help you search for your family story.  After "Googling" Great-Aunt Bernice, I looked around on the internet with the eyes of a "newbie," and one thing became very clear.  There are, like, a gazillion places to look, all offering a smorgasbord of things, ranging from free to what's got to be more than what  Great-Aunt Bernice paid for her lineage all the way back to the Mayflower. 

So, my answer to this problem?  How about a site that can deliver some help, guidance, and support in a friendly and light-hearted atmosphere?  Maybe a site that can break down the "tough stuff"?  Perhaps a site that has daily tips, links to helpful websites, reviews of related-products and services, a related daily video, and the like ~all in an easy-to-understand format with just a dash of humor?  [O.K., so maybe a sprinkle of sarcasm too.]  A site that eventually will get you to think, "Great-Aunt Bernice who?"

Billy the Kid (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.)

In addition to helping you get started on finding your ancestry, there will be helpful tips on awesome ways to share your family story.  Because you don't want to be stingy.  That's right.  You want to share all about the outlaws in your family, especially over Thanksgiving Dinner, but even more important than that, you can take credit for all of your family discoveries.  Yes, that's right.  You don't need Great-Aunt Bernice.

Yes, I will refer to companies in my posts when it applies because you cannot possibly do all your searching for free.  If another site promises you can, just remember what Great-Aunt Bernice always says, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."  But don't worry.  I'll be giving you plenty of tips and hints on the free stuff.

For your viewing/reading pleasure, I've included on this blog/site a related daily video from YouTube and other places.  Sometimes they'll be instructional.  Sometimes they'll be entertaining.  And sometimes they'll be downright funny.  In addition to the Daily Video, I've added a Google news feed that, like the name suggests, feeds introductions to news stories.  I've customized it so that it only includes those stories that contain the following keywords: "genealogy", "family tree", "family history", "Who Do You Think You Are", "ancestry", etc.  Now.  Most of the stories are relevant.  However, there are a few that are not.  But they're not inappropriate either.  So, if it's not relevant, please ignore it.  Another news story will appear shortly.  Feel free to click on a story to read it.  However, that will take you off this site.  So don't click it until you read my post.  Please.  I'm trusting you.  And watching.  Just kidding.  I'm not watching you.  [By the way, I really like your living room furniture. *wink*]

I've also added a Twitter feed that feeds all tweets from Twitter that include the keyword, "#genealogy".  You know.  Just in case what I've said on any given day is just so compelling that you simply cannot leave my site to go to Twitter.  [Snort.]  In other words, if you can't [or won't] go to Twitter, I'm bringing a piece of Twitter to you.  [No, Twitter is not a mountain.  But for some, it's close.]


I will also be reviewing related products and services that are related to genealogy, family trees, family history, and /or history.  My reviews will be honest, which if you think about it, is the best way to go for everyone.  How else will the products and/or services get any better?  I may or may not be compensated for these reviews, but I will let you know either way.  They'll be honest reviews ~the good, the bad, and the ugly.  If it stinks, it stinks.  Even Great-Aunt Bernice would agree with that.

Photo courtesy of Liam R.E. Quin.

I will eventually be adding E-books that I author, and they'll be available for nominal fees.  [That's "nominal" not "phenomenal".  If I were independently wealthy, it'd be free.  But I'm not, so...]  In the near future, I will also be incorporating video posts for genealogy and family history tips as well as for tutorials on ways to share your family story that will also be posted on YouTube.  The videos will be free.  [My favorite word.]

So whaddya say?  Are you ready to look for where you came from?  How about looking for who your people are?  Are you ready to start searching for your family story?  

Who knows?

Even though you're not going to need her, 

Maybe you have a Great-Aunt Bernice.  

And maybe she's done some of the work for you.

And maybe it's actually sourced.

Which would be nice.  

How will you know if you don't look?