Clan MacLennan Worldwide
Family Research - Beginners Guide
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Genealogy research is not a cold gathering of facts, but, instead, it is breathing life into all who have gone before. The researcher is the story teller of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us. Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we find ourselves, we find our roots - our family. Below are some practical tips for newcomers to this exciting world: In the collation of various lineages of the MacLennan Clan on an international basis, all clansmen will hopefully benefit by expanding their present information with valid, new MacLennan paternal lines. As more and more clansmen come together with the registration of their own lineages to this site, a living global Clan MacLennan network will evolve. It has been said that we are all related. If so, you can help yourself and others find out where by adding your own paternal MacLennan line? To that end I have created a research resource index. It will expand as time goes on but for now we have information and links made available to all. David MacLennan |
The very first point to recognize is that your Family
history research will be a never ending quest. Remembering this one aspect alone
will save you countless hours of frustration and confusion. Yes! the Clan
MacLennan is an ancient family with historical records dating as far back as the
first millennium. You are beginning a journey which will bring you BACK in time
hundreds of years. In order to begin our adventure we will have to first prepare
ourselves.
“Organize yourself”, before you even begin this process. You will be adding
to the information that you find continually. The sources of records will come
in varied forms of microfilm, certificates, letters, pictures, newspaper
articles, books, memorabilia galore and so on.
A good idea is to record where you have done your research. This will come in handy especially if you decide to place an ancestral line into a Family History Book. That’s right, you will eventually have enough information to maintain not only one book but several depending on the amount of research you have completed. Even if you don’t intend to collate your info into a literary presentation it is a must to begin a filing system with index cards and a number of charts. You can download these charts from a number of places on the internet for free.
Charts will become your own guide as to who is who and where they came from and what they did. I suggest strongly that you go to a site on the internet and use their FREE research charts. It will save you a lot of pain later on.
The following charts are made available from the Brigham Young University which is naturally associated with the Church of Latter Day Saints. It has a wealth of information including videos to assist all researchers. You will find the site at: www.byubroadcasting.org/ancestors/charts:
Pedigree Chart (PDF format)
(To read these files you will need the free Acrobat Reader program.)
I might also add that these charts are the MAIN tools used in genealogical research. Even with all of the wonderful genealogy computer programs available today, filling in the blanks on the Pedigree Charts and the Family Groups Records" are your main objective in researching your genealogy.
You may wish to purchase one of these programs - such as Family Tree Maker. If you do buy one of these, be sure that you will be able to save the files created into the generic GEDCOM format.
Start with your own family beginning with YOU! This will give you template to use for all of your research. Remember that this template is meant to be flexible. Your objectives will change as you proceed with your research.
Begin with, what I like to call, your own rough notes. Write down your name, when and where you were born, and if you were baptized in a church, the date and place. If you have brothers and sisters, do the same for them. On the same sheet of paper write down a little about who you are and what your life is like at this point in time. These notes are your own and to be used for referral purposes only. The only thing that has to be really correct are actual dates and places. It doesn't matter if you don't know the exact spelling of places either, you will eventually come up with the correct modern day form. I say modern because you will come across OLD SPELLINGS and you will have to decipher them. Always remember that we communicate today far differently than we did one hundred years ago. Your first glimpse of a 1800 census or land record will be evidence enough to validate this statement. My own surname changed from McLennan to MacLennan over 100 years ago. I couldn't find my Mac grandfather for about 3 weeks because of this one fact.
Which brings me to very important point - NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING - GET THE AUTHENTIC / LEGITIMATE DETAILS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!
Record what you know about your ancestors, ie; your parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents
Write what you already know about your ancestors on a Pedigree Chart and a Family Groups Record. Seek out your parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and so on within your immediate family.
Create an individual interview sheet that will help achieve your objectives. It should look something similar to the following:
NOTE: These are only a few sample questions. Check out the previous charts for your own research questions / objectives. Children, land ownership, military information are only a few additional questions that may be used. For your information; did you know that there were two McLennan family members that fought on each side of the the American Civil War? They were both killed in the same battle and buried in the same cemetery. A tid bit that would be a great additional fact for some Clan Family Historian I am sure.
Did I say that this project was free - wrong!!! All researchers inevitably pay for their sources. Be careful in your choices and WHO you purchase information from.
There are two main types of genealogy records:
NOTE: It is a must to record all of your source information in order that you have valid records. Aunt Harriet's word may be true but it is not proof. As well many of the search sites that you will probably go to your in your research are usually transcriptions from the real source. These sites are useful to point you to the legitimate documents and actually save you hours of time BUT they are not the REAL documents. just copies and are susceptible to human error.
Sources for obtaining your immediate needs:
The following suggestions for writing up your own records are close to or exactly the same standards that most family history researchers use.
The database has a function known as SmartMatch which regularly searches other contributors files for matches with your ancestors.
Before your files can be uploaded to the Clan data base you will need to save your information in the generic GEDCOM format .
You can send your GEDCOM file to me by email for uploading if you wish.
The Clan MacLennan World Wide Site has created a genealogy research section. It is a collection of informative and helpful resources for dealing with family research on the internet. You will find the section at: Clan MacLennan On-line Family History Research Resources.
This page maintained by David MacLennan
