How to create a pedigree: step by step instructions

Everyone has thought about their roots at least once. Of course, we know where our parents were born. If we are lucky, we are familiar with the history of grandparents. So what is next? Dekulakization, wars and repression have erased a lot of information from family archives. And the passport system in Russia was introduced relatively recently - at the beginning of the twentieth century. Until that time, documentary information about a person was stored in government institutions or in churches.

Because of this, families are left with only vague memories and legends about the ancestors. But the older and wiser you get, the clearer you realize how important it is to know your roots. We will show you how to get information about your ancestors.

Step one. Organization of information storage system

A pedigree is a family archive, which implies a storage system for information. A variant of such a system is sites for compiling pedigrees.

Their advantages:

The ability to access from different devices and anywhere in the world.
The ability to upload photos, documents and other information.
The ability to invite relatives to the site, who will be able to enter information and share their documents and photos.

Examples of such sites: MyHeritage, FamilySpace, My Family Tree.

After choosing a suitable site, fill in the personal cards for each relative with the information that is currently available.

Step two. Parsing family documents and photos

Surely, somewhere in the mezzanine, everyone will have a box, or even a suitcase with such a heritage. Forgotten documents, photographs, postcards, letters and other traces of history can be useful. Study and analyze their content carefully.

Pay attention to:

Dates in documents. Fill in the dates and related events for each person. In constructing a pedigree, dates are key starting points for subsequent work in the archive.
Captions on the back of the photographs. Sometimes, along with the year when the photo was taken, you can see the age, which allows you to calculate the year of birth. Open frames with old photos. On the back you can find cherished dates and other messages from ancestors.
Photos of relatives in uniform. By uniforms, you can understand the type of troops and rank of the military, as well as approximately determine the year of the photograph, if it is not indicated on the back. It doesn't matter if you are not an expert in this field. Now in many forums on genealogy (for example, the Genealogical Forum of IOP), you can find enthusiasts versed in the topic who will be happy to help with expertise.

At this stage, gaps in family history are often identified. For example, you can find a photo with a person you don't know, or, conversely, you won't find a single card of your beloved grandfather. Perhaps previously unknown facts will be revealed from the documents that you will want to know more about.

Step three. Communication with relatives

Surely you have a lot of questions after parsing photos and documents. In order not to miss anything and to get a more complete picture of the ancestor, when talking with relatives, use these questions:

Surname, name and patronymic (for a woman - maiden name).
Date and place of birth.
Date and place of burial, if the person is not alive.
Surname, name and patronymic of father and mother.
Nationality.
Brothers and sisters, their dates of life.
Children, their dates of life.
Surname, name and patronymic of the wife (husband).
Where and when he studied, what education he received, who was in his specialty.
Occupation and place of occupation: where, by whom and when he worked.
In what events of wide public importance did he participate (war, the development of the north or virgin lands).
Religion.
Awards, titles.
What class belonged to (until 1917).
Character traits, interests, inclinations.
Sources of information about a person: publications in the press, the Web, letters, memories.

Record the answers during the conversation in a convenient format. Make a note about the source of information: indicate the last name, first name and patronymic of the relative, who he is related to the studied ancestor, the current date.

Ask if your relative has photos of an ancestor or documents from which you can learn additional facts of life. But you shouldn't be limited only to them. At this step, the facts and dry dates are filled with emotions and memories. Write down all interesting events, even if they did not have a significant impact on the course of family history.

Step four. Search on the Internet

Our ancestors did not see the boom of social networks. Information about them is stored on paper in government agencies. However, some of the information on the Web can still be found. So, in recent years, a lot of data from the military archives of the First and Second World Wars have been declassified, digitized and published.

Information can be found on these resources:

First World War 1914-1918. Alphabetical lists of the losses of the lower ranks.
In memory of the heroes of the Great War of 1914-1918.
Cavaliers of St. George of the Great War of 1914-1918.
Memory of the people.
OBD "Memorial".
The feat of the people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
VIPC "Fatherland".
POW base from the Second World War.
Victims of political terror.

In all databases there is a search line where you can enter the desired surname and find the desired person in the drop-down lists. In some databases, it is possible to view and download the original document, where your ancestor is mentioned.

All databases were created manually by transferring data from paper sources. Therefore, when searching, it is worth taking into account the human factor and looking for a surname in different variations.

Step five. Working with archival documents

In archival documents, you can find information that relates to personal data: name, date of birth, date of death, date of marriage. Depending on the period of limitation and the type of document, information may be stored in the registry offices or archives of the city. The websites of these institutions indicate the conditions for the provision of such services, the terms and the address where you should contact.

Required for the search are the full name, year and place of birth of the person you are requesting information about.

You can send electronic requests to both institutions, but the registry office will ask you to come in person with an identity document to receive information, and will ask you to confirm the degree of relationship with the person for whom the information is requested.

The archive responds within a month. In response to the request, a receipt for payment of services is sent.

After receiving the payment, the workers begin the search, which may take another month.

You may be told that there is no information on this person in the archive. This can happen if one of the three criteria was invalid. In this case, it is recommended to expand the range of search by years or neighboring settlements.

If the search is successful, you will receive help from the archive about your ancestor. It will contain all the information that is in the original source, but the archive does not send a copy of the historical document itself. If you are interested in a copy, check on the website the opening hours and the procedure for accessing the documents and visit the archive in person.

If you live or often visit countries in Europe or the United States, there is another option. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has a database on residents of the former CIS countries. In the 90s, they toured the archives and digitized most of the documents: registers of births, population censuses, revision tales. For a relatively small amount, you can get access to this information. The data is stored at the Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City in the form of microfilms, which can only be viewed on equipment located in churches in cities in Europe and the United States.

Microfilms are ordered from the FamilySearch website. There you can choose a convenient city and make a payment. The shipment takes about a month. The site states that copying of materials is prohibited, but not everything is so hopeless. The argument “I flew from distant Russia specifically for this purpose” is considered significant, and it is quite possible to obtain permission.

Generating a pedigree is a fun process, similar to archaeological digging and detective work. When you find information about ancestors, you get the feeling that you have found a treasure. And this is not far from the truth, because this grain of family history is really priceless.