The Ancestor

Your tree climbing has just begun. Proceed at your own risk. Once you are hooked, there is no turning back.

Having completed genealogy 101, you now have an account of your immediate family. Establishing the facts that you know will allow you begin the second phase of tree climbing...where do I go from here? What branch do I climb out onto? What is the process of establishing the facts of my descent from what ancestral line?

The word "ancestor" is derived from the French word "antecessor" which means one that goes before. It is one from whom a person is descended, and who is usually more remote in the family line of descent than a grandparent. Thus a "forefather" would be counted from your great-grandparents. Now you have four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents. Genealogy 201 is to help you begin to establish your ancestral stock.

The next step is to go to your parents (if still living) or grandparents (if still living)and record their lives. Your parents should know information at least to their own grandparents, thus beginning your ancestral lines. Use the same squares and circles you learned in Genealogy 101, and build a page for your parents, and grandparents. If married, do the same for your spouse. Each graph page in your notebook now becomes a record for each generation you uncover. During this process it is helpful to add an additional tool, the standard weight, sheet protectors. These come in handy when you want to place pictures, records, or any kind of document that you wish to save. Grandparents tend to have a whole lot of family memories. You can then place them in the notebook you are building.