Self Help

Using a camcorder, genealogy presents you with many opportunities. Compose a good genealogy story by setting up a series of pictures. Suppose you have chosen to make a video memory story of the family reunion. As an introduction, take a shot of a sign bearing the name of the homestead, maybe a road sign with the name of your destination. This gives the setting of what is to come. Next comes the road leading into the gathering. Years from now the cars will be different, so take a shot of the parking area.

Get a shot of everybody. This gets across the joy of seeing each other after a year’s separation. Focus on some of the youngest to attend, maybe for the first time. Contrast these with some of the oldest.

After dinner, most of the men and boys are getting away from the clean-up to play ball. Single out a few you haven’t had themselves recorded. Get them in action, or about to hit or catch the ball. This is another good time to get a group shot of the spectators. Find the old-timers who wish they were out there showing the others a thing or two. Chances are, they’ll be sitting together, talking about the good old days.

Meanwhile the women are lingering over their empty plates, sharing recipes and gossip. New mothers are getting advice, and new girlfriends and wives are being introduced to the family. Take pictures of these informal groupings.

If this is a gathering at the ancestral home, take your elder relative around the grounds. Take a view of the overall scene, and then zoom in on the individual buildings. Let the narrative guide what you picture. You are literally doing an oral history with pictures. At times when your relative is pointing or using his/her hands to describe, step back a little to include them in the shot. You need to picture who is with you, and a gesture gives them life and emotion.

Animals and pets may interact with your group, and you may have some charming close-ups with the children. If Grandma remarks how she used to slide down the cellar door, re-create the scene with her granddaughter. Children need to experience the activity to remember it, not just hear about it.

If it is convenient, have them take you on a tour of the house room by room, pointing out things they feel are precious memories. You are fortunate in these days to live in a house long enough to store up memories. Keep them alive with pictures. There will certainly be a time for a total group picture for the archives, maybe some grand settings using the big porch, steps and yard to create several levels.

This is also a perfect time to take family group photos. Besides giving you a record of the family for your genealogy, you may offer prints or a negative to the family. If the gathering is over before sunset, try to get some long shots of the people going to their cars, back lighted by the setting sun. A close-up of Grandma and Grandpa hugging your family goodbye.

Any good result usually comes from a lot of pre-planning. It’s good to take advantage of the unexpected, but not when the occasion only comes once a year. Remember some of these people will not be at the next reunion, for one reason or another. Reunions are never the same, although they seemed that way when we were children.
Finding Overseas Records When Researching Possible Immigrants

Sooner or later, most genealogists trace their family trees back to an immigrant ancestor - the one who came to America. When this happens, try to find every single piece of information you can here in America before even thinking about researching over there - wherever “there” might be.

Here’s why: Records here tend to be in English, whereas records “over there” tend to be in a language you may not read fluently, if at all. Even if you speak that foreign language, the records may be written in an archaic form of handwriting using archaic terminology.

Depending on your ancestor’s age upon arrival in the United States, and how long he lived afterward, he may have generated more records here than in his country of origin. Records here are often more accessible than those in a foreign country - unless they were microfilmed and are, therefore, available through Family History Centers. Family sources, both here and overseas, often play a key role in solving your questions about your immigrant ancestor. Start by interviewing as many of your relatives as you can find here to learn about those living overseas.