Steve Szabados Genealogy

Another New Book – a short eBook

I tried to rest after publishing Write Your Family History but found inspiration for my second eBook. Once I got the idea, the urge to get it written and published could not be stopped.  It was published two weeks later and I think it will prove to be a great research tool.  Title and Description:Deciphering the 1790-1840 U.S. Census Records: Two case studies This book is based on a portion of my program on the census records and the eBook allows me to discuss more details of the two case studies I use to analysis methods to decipher the early U.S. census records   Available on Amazon.com

My new book – Write Your Family History is now available

My new book Write Your Family History: Easy Steps to Organize, Save and Share is now available on Amazon.

Genealogy research should go beyond finding documents and filling in charts. This book outlines a simple process that will aid genealogy research and will also create pages of information that can be easily read and understood by all family members. Your research will become faster and more accurate and your family can enjoy the family history.

Price $17.99

Click here to order

Beginning my research

I begin organizing my research by using standard genealogy charts to capture the relationships and the names of family members. I also quickly start writing a summary for each direct ancestor. In the summaries I include all the information that I find in the documents. Each document is a snap shot of the life of an ancestor and I try to capture each detail found in the document. This method helps me gather, correlate, and analyze my information.  I also make sure that my entries in the summaries identify where I found each fact. Including the sources and this step helps me draw better conclusions about the accuracy of my information and also helps me find clues that point to more sources.

One important benefit that I enjoy from my summaries is that they make my research efforts more efficient. Information that I needed to continue my research is more readily available and using summaries have reduced the time needed to find more documents.

Another very important benefit that my summaries offer is that they make exchanging information with family members easier. A ring binder with a titled cover invites family members to open and read. The summaries can be easily understood by family members and reading them sometimes brings out memories of family stories and offers to send copies of pictures and documents to me.

United Polish Genealogy Society Conference

For those of you who have started your research for your Polish ancestors, here is an exciting trip and conference that can jump start your efforts.

The United Polish Genealogy Society Conference will be held in Salt Lake City starting on May 2through May 5. Salt Lake City is called “The Genealogy Capital of the World” and the Family History Library is a fantastic place to find the U.S and Polish records that may lead you to your Polish ancestors. The equipment found at the library is the most up-to-date and the knowledgeable library staff can truly bring success for your genealogy efforts. The library staff has scheduled three orientation classes for conference attendees and conference sessions are scheduled to allow attendees ample time to use the resources available found at the Family History Library.

 Nationally known genealogist Joshua Taylor will give the keynote speech for the Monday banquet. Mr. Taylor will also give presentations on New Tools for Research and Creating a Family History Website. Noted Polish researcher Ceil Jensen will speak at three programs on Midwifery, Immigration Agents and Manor House Records. Ceil and Joshua will be joined by four other knowledgeable speakers who will give programs on Polish topics covering Advance research methods, Maps, Gazetteers, Polish petition records, Notary records and new LDS filming projects in Poland.

Another highlight of the conference is the appearance of the Wesoly Lud Polish Folk Dance Company on Saturday night at the 850 seat Little Theater at the LDS Conference Center. This will be the first appearance of a Polish Dance group at a UPGS conference and if you have not had the opportunity to see a live performance of a Polish Folk Dance group this is another reason for attending the conference.

Plan to stay at the Plaza Hotel. The hotel is located next to the library and offers a free shuttle from the airport. The conference committee has also arranged for the discounted room rate of $85 per night.

The resources available at the Family History Library are the largest in the world and are growing daily. A trip to use these resources and to hear such knowledgeable speakers should be on your “To-Do” list.

Life is short. Please consider attending the UPGS conference. Your efforts in attending the conference will be rewarded with a wealth of new information for your family history.

More program details and registration information can be found on their website at:

http://pgsa.org/2014UPGS/

Birth records and Family History

When you find a birth record, go beyond the genealogical data listed. Expand your family history by including a picture of the home where the parents were living and indicate the occupation of the father if it was listed.  If the record is a baptismal record, list who the godparents were, who performed the baptism and at what church. Also look for newspaper birth announcements that may contain more information.

Try to go beyond the facts

Genealogy is not just the collection of names and facts. At first your summaries will be a list of facts but remember your ancestors were living human beings who interacted with the people around them. Each document is a snap shot of your ancestor and each detail should be captured and analyzed. Try to envision how each fact might impact your family’s lives. Try to go beyond the list of facts. Interpret the facts and use the summaries to tell the story of your family.

Translating Records – Alphabets and German Script

If your ancestors were from Continental Europe, an important factor in interpreting of their records is the makeup of the alphabets that were used in the documents you will be reviewing.

Alphabets used for many European languages have special characters. Recognizing these special characters will help you find the documents because they may change the order indexes are sorted. Usually the letters with special characters are sorted after their normal counterparts. This will also help find the correct translation for the passage or phrase.

An understanding of the Old German Gothic script is also very important. You will find that handwriting and print that you find in your old documents are very different from the handwriting that we are familiar in today’s writing. Many letters and compound consonants were formed very differently from Roman Type. The letters f, h, j, s and t are very challenging to read in German Script. In German script they look very similar and differ only by the location of the loop or no loop. The interpretation of these letters has led to many mistakes in the indexing of names and place names.

Familysearch.org offers a German Gothic Handwriting Guide in their wiki pages that will give you further tips on reading German Script. Find it at:

https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/images/c/ca/German_Gothic_Handwriting_Guide.pdf