I first read Roots when I was in taking my college major. I was already familiar with American history and the genesis of the journey of the Blacks in the Americas. This book however, never failed to stir strong emotions inside me despite the fact that I do not even have the slightest associations with Blacks, on top of the fact that I live all my life in the Philippines. For me, this is one of the best indications that this book has something special in it that can touch anyone regardless of race, color, geography, nationality, and perception of the world. I was academically aware of the struggles of black Americans in the early years of slaver but there was no genuine feeling of sympathy for them. This book simply changed everything. It reversed by outlook towards the struggles of the blacks before and at the present. In other words, this book is worth every penny you can save to buy and read it.

The book is about the true story of a black family spanning six generations. The opening part of the story revolves around the life of a young boy somewhere in Africa. His name was Kunta Kinte and he lived in a typical Muslim African village. During the boy’s normal wandering in the nearby woods, he was captured by slave traders and was eventually sold to plantation owners in America. There he met Bell, his future wife. Together they produced a daughter in the name of Kizzy. The book in this part shows in gruesome details how families are broken up and separated by a simple misdemeanor or crime. In this case, Kizzy committed a crime and was punished by her owner by raping her and afterwards selling her to another owner. Kizzy was able to get through with her difficult situation and married another slave. The story continues until it reached the generation of Mathilda who gave birth to Tom. Tom turned himself into a fine blacksmith until the civil war released all slaves as free citizens. Tom married Irene and they had several children. One of them is Cynthia who marries Simon Haley. They are the parents of the author, Alex Haley.

Adored and criticized at the same time, Roots: A saga of an American Family will go down in American history as one of the most compelling and detailed narration of the life of black slaves in the past. Interestingly, Alex Haley had to pay $650,000 to Harold Courlander, the author of The African because of plagiarism issues. The interest on the book, however, continued to create a stir amid many accusations such as lack of historical data. For me, the book should never be taken as a totally accurate account since black history in America was never fully documented, especially the history of each family. The story of the book shows that history of individual black family was passed through word of mouth for several generations.

The most important of all was that this book was able to tell in detail the obstacles faced by blacks in America, and how it strengthened the lineage of each families in the process. It was a wonderful story on how to overcome seemingly hopeless situations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harvey_Russell

As the nation’s genealogical societies gather in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference this week to share tips and tricks for finding one’s elusive ancestors, there will certainly besome clamoring over an unexpected gift from FamilySearch, a world leader in historic records preservation and access. FamilySearch announced the addition of over 200 million new searchable historic records representing 18 countries to its online database. The new records were added to the hundreds of millions FamilySearch published earlier this year at a similar event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The number of records on the pilot site totals 700 million.

The latest deluge of records includes 53 new or updated collections from the United States and over 100 million new records from Europe, Scandinavia and Mexico. The United States collections include the 1910 U.S. Census and states’ birth, marriage and death records. There are 10 million new records from New Jersey and Michigan, 4 million from Tennessee, an amazing 41 million from Massachusetts, and many more from other states.

“Some time ago, FamilySearch committed to creating access to the world’s genealogical records online in a big way. Today’s updates are part of an ongoing effort to make good on those commitments,” said Paul Nauta, FamilySearch public affairs manager. “We have only just begun,” Nauta concluded. In the U.S., FamilySearch is currently focusing on digitizing and publishing online federal and state censuses and state birth, marriage and death records. When complete, the initiative will provide a definitive collection of U.S. genealogical resources for family history researchers.

In addition to the new U.S. collections, over 100 million records were added to FamilySearch’s international collections online — making it most likely the largest international genealogy collection online. The new international databases come from birth, marriage and death records and from municipal records. Go to FamilySearch.org, then click Search Records and then Record Search pilot to see a full list of the free collections. The records will also soon be available at beta.familysearch.org.

“What makes today’s announcement even more impressive is that FamilySearch uses predominantly a growing corps of volunteers to accomplish the task of digitizing and indexing the records for online publication. That’s also in large part how we can do it for free, how it can be done at no cost to the patron,” said Nauta. Currently, 350,000 volunteers worldwide log on to FamilySearchIndexing.org and use FamilySearch’s proprietary software to view digital images of historic documents of personal interest and type in the desired information. FamilySearch then creates a free, searchable index of the historic collections online for the public to use.

*** Free Family History, Family Tree, and Genealogy Records and Resources from Around the World 
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

*** Free Genealogy Research Classes Online

The following classes are provided online by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and other sponsors.
Learn the basic methods and key resources to start your family history.

• U.S. Research New!
• England Beginning Research
• Germany Research
• Ireland Research
• Italy Research
• Poland Research
• Principios básicos para la investigación genealógica en Hispanoamérica (México)
• Reading Handwritten Records Series New!
• Research Principles and Tools New!
• Russia Research

“I saw behind me those who had gone, and before me those who are to come. I looked back and saw my father, and his father, and all our fathers, and in front to see my son, and his son, and the sons upon sons beyond. And their eyes were my eyes. Richard Llewellyn

Like branches on a tree, our lives may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
–Anonymous

If we have the courage and tenacity of our forebears, who stood firmly like a rock against the lash of slavery, we shall find a way to do for our day what they did for theirs. Mary McLeod Bethune

I trace my family history so I will know who to blame.
Every family tree has some sap in it.

This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it’s the family stories that are worth the storage.
-Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

One genealogist explained how she preferred to use what she called “the back door” method to stimulate interest while trying to trace family history. She would explain her hobby and then request and interview with various family members and then with their permission would share those stories with extended family members. Starting with her own parents she soon progressed to aunts and uncles and then other family members.

In her introductory message this creative genealogist would remind the family member how we often refer to ourselves or our children as having their mother’s smile or grandfather’s chin etc. By reminding one another that we are all a blend of the intelligence, character and attributes of our extended ancestral gene pool, it helps us become more interested in those who preceded us in life. In a very real way we come to know ourselves better as we come to know our ancestors.

Sometimes other family members have done extensive genealogical research and invested many years and financial resources into the process. We need to be respectful of all of that contribution, express appreciation and even offer to assist financially or express our willingness to share whatever we may find. For those involved already in family tree research, it is usually good to ask them for advice as to how you can coordinate your efforts with theirs so that no one is wasting either time or money duplicating the efforts of others. Whenever you do share information, be sure to share the sources of the information as well so that duplication is minimized and the information you are sharing are given their proper value.

One technique that is used effectively with those that are not anxious to share family facts is to just be friends with them and engage them in lots of conversation. In the course of the natural communication, make a mental note and remember the dates and facts that you are able to learn about the family. Take a break after gleaning some good information and then when you are in private, jot the details down for future reference. Ask questions about the family. but not so many as to sound like you are conducting a fact finding mission or an inquisition.

Another way to help develop family relationships and information exchange is to start and manage a family newsletter or blog. When invitations are sent out to all cousins and distant relatives, ask for stories and events about them, their children or their parents. Throwing in a periodic thought or quote can make it all the more interesting.  5-31-10

Since the dawn of time, those that have found the things they were looking for in life, either knowingly or ignorantly followed the law of attraction. We receive that which we think about and have powerful emotions about. The Bible teaches that as a man thinketh, so he becomes.

The most frequent admonition within the Bible is to ASK.  When we pray, or ask for something that is right and good, that very act of focusing upon the desired result brings into force the law of attraction.

If you really want to have a profound increase in your success as you find family tree building experiences, utilize this great universal law … created and taught by the God of the Universe. Personally, in my personal quest to find my family tree and build it, I have literally found thousands of relatives through this principle. Apply it – it works!

Take 20 minutes or so and INVEST in your future success – in your genealogy and in all aspects of your life. Watch this potentially life changing video:

Please copy and paste the link if it is not working.

If you are having some challenges with building your family tree or in any other area of your life, I am 100% confident that watching this short video can help you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b1GKGWJbE8

When doing genealogy to research family tree ancestors, there are a few tips that will help you get the best results and have the most fun. Incorporate these tips into your research and you will build your family tree at a much quicker pace.

Tip 1: Start with a Free Family Tree Search to make sure you are not spending time doing research that has already been done. One of the best places to do this is with the resources made available online by the LDS church. They have bee collecting and merging family trees of millions of people for many years. If you are a member of the LDS Church you can access the members only database (which will likely be open to the public eventually) called new.familysearch.org  For everyone else, go to familysearch.org and start searching for your deceased ancestors and relatives.

Tip 2: Before they get any more forgetful or pass on, contact and interview the older family members who you can find. These interviews can be done best in persona but the phone, email or even regular mail can still yield a lot of family history that just will not be there if you wait too long. Use a good list of questions that you think through before the interview.

Tip 3: Keep your information well organized … either with good online software or else with good files. Your key tools of the trade are the pedigree chart (sometimes called the ancestral chart) and the family group sheet. Free ones are readily available online. Get familiar with them and use them faithfully.

Tip 4: Find out how you can access census records and then take some time to learn the ins and outs of following a family through several decades of census records. The census indexes and the underlying digital images of the actual census are some of the most powerful tools available if your ancestors were in a country where they were taken. Most of the prominent countries of the world have at least some census records available online.

Tip 5:  Locate and if possible visit, the nearest Family History Center of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Be sure to take your records with you. Take your jump drive with your files in gedcom format – if you’re using a genealogy software program, or your paper files with your pedigree charts and family group sheets. If you don’t have those yet, take whatever notes you do have because you can almost always get help there in expanding your family tree or finding your best next step to discover your ancestors.

Note: These centers are free of charge and they are run by volunteers. If the individual on duty is not very knowledgeable, find out who the family history center director is and when they are scheduled to be on duty. Come back or call when they are on duty and they will almost always be able to help you. The LDS Church has over 3000 of these amazing genealogy resource centers throughout the world and if you are in North America, there is almost certainly one near you. Go visit this gold mine of information today… and have fun!

Who else has ever wondered: How do I find my family tree? Discovering about famous or ordinary ancestors can be a lot of fun. If you take it a step at a time it’s really rewarding and very easy to start growing your own family tree.

Step 1. Get a notepad and pencil and then grab an ancestral chart (sometimes called a Pedigree Chart or work sheet). If you have a computer, do a Google search for “free ancestral chart” then find one you like (they’re all about the same) and print it out. This is the first of 2 basic worksheets you will refer to over and over as you build your family tree. You can also get a copy here: http://www.ancestry.com/charts/ancchart.aspx
Note: If you don’t have internet access at home or at a close library, then contact or go to the nearest Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (locate them in your phone book or at your public library) and ask them for the pamphlet : “How Do I Start My Family History?”. That pamphlet has a blank Pedigree Work Sheet in it and a blank Family Group Work Sheet.

Step 2.  Go through the same process as in step one to get a form called a Family Group Sheet or a Family Group Work Sheet. You can get one free here: http://www.ancestry.com/trees/charts/familysheet.aspx

Step 3. Make a copy of each of these worksheets and save the original to make more copies. These two worksheets will be copied and used over and over to help you keep all of the information and discoveries about your family organized.

Step 4. Start with a blank Ancestral Chart (or Pedigree Work Sheet – they are the same thing).  Write in the information you know about yourself in spot one. Enter your full legal name, the date of your birth, the place of your birth, your marriage information if you are married (put multiple marriages data on the back)

Step 5. Now fill out as much information as you can about your parents and grandparents and even further back if you have it. At this stage, just put down what you remember. If you only know of a first name, a nickname or a last name that’s OK. Just enter what you know or can remember. Estimate birth, marriage and death dates and enter them on the chart in pencil with a ? behind. The question mark beside the data will remind you later it is just an estimate.

Step 6. Now that you have a few names on your Pedigree or Ancestral Chart, make a copy of the blank Family Group Work Sheet for each couple that are on your Pedigree Chart.  Fill in their names and what information you have. It is a good idea to enter it in pencil if you are uncertain about the information and in ink if you are certain.  Start with the Family Group Sheet for your parents family with you and your siblings as a child. If an ancestor was married more than once (and especially if they had children from that marriage), create and fill out a separate Family Group Work Sheet for that couple as well.

Step 7. Decide which of the questionable or missing information that you’d like to learn more about. A good way is to mark with a colored pencil or circle each field where you’d like to get more detail.

Step 8. Now take one family at a time and start digging a little deeper. Start with your parents family and then go back from there.  Determine which family members might have information about the family you are researching and then prepare for an informal visit with them or if possible a scheduled personal interview. Use good judgment and be considerate of other peoples time and feelings and most family members will be excited to share information with you. They may have stories or information that they remember or they may also have pictures, certificates, journals, family Bibles or other records that may be of interest.

Step 9.  Contact the family member.  If possible try to set up a personal interview with the person. If that is not practical, then you might just contact them by phone, by email or even by a letter. Here are some helpful hints when you contact the family member.
a. Tell them who you are and how you are related to them if you’re not sure they already know.
b. Let them know that you’re trying to learn more about your family tree. Explain which family member(s) that you’re focusing on and with which data you’d appreciate their help.
c. Try and set-up a time when you could interview them in person if possible or else on the phone.

Step 10. Prepare for your visit with a family member.  Write down the questions that you  want to ask them. It’s usually most effective to ask questions that cannot be easily answered with just a yes or a no … you want them to build rapport with you and then share the details they remember or have in their possession.  Prepare to be kind, thoughtful and considerate and they will learn to trust you, like you and share things that you might otherwise never discover.  Check out this list of Questions to Ask Family Members While Building Your Family Tree. Use this list to give you ideas and help you formulate the best list for the interview you are about to conduct.

Step 11.  Visit with and get the details you are looking for from your relatives. After preparing as noted in the last step, just go have fun visiting with the relative you have prepared to get to know better. As you go through your list of questions, be sure to take some of your time to build or strengthen your relationship with family member. They will likely appreciate it and probably will have more information to share with you again at a later date.  As you get information from them, if possible make copies of photos, documents, letters or journals they may have. If they offer for you to take any of their documents etc to copy and return later – BE SURE to make the copies and get the originals back to them in a very timely manner along with an appropriate note or token of thanks and appreciation. Always offer to share with your family members the information that you are able to find. When you have an attitude of generosity, friendliness and love, you will maximize your success and your enjoyment as you grow your family tree.

Well there you have it. You are now well on your way to building your family tree.  Repeat this process with other family members and for other ancestors and relatives.  This step of gleaning all you can from and connecting with, your living relatives, is the most critical of all the steps. These sources of information may not be there for you in a couple of years so do it now.  Become a catalyst within your family for expanding a sense of familial bonding and caring and your will have a treasure that lasts more than a lifetime.

These questions are here to stimulate your thinking when you’re wondering how to start your family tree.  When gathering family data, always be kind and considerate and seek to strengthen family ties and support. Doing so will increase other peoples cooperation, make you a more likable and trustworthy person and significantly increase both the quality and quantity of cooperation you get as your build your family tree. If you plan to use a tape recorder or video camera for your visit, be sure to get the permission of the person well ahead of time.
Note: When asking questions, if they don’t know the answer ask them if they could give you an “approximate”  or “best guess” answer. Often that will stimulate their thinking – and remembering.

1. What is your nickname, legal name and name by which you prefer to be called?

2. What is your birth date and in what City, State/Province and Country were you born?

3. What is your mother’s maiden name and what name did she go by?

4. Where was your mother born and what is her birth date?

5.  What is your father’s full name and what name did he go by?

6. Where was your father born and what is his birth date?

7. What are the names of each of your full siblings?

8. What is the birth date and location for each of your siblings.

9. Who did each of your siblings marry and where and when did that happen?

10. What memories do you have about each of your siblings?

11. What are the full names, birth dates and locations for each of your children?

12, Whom did you marry and what is their birth information?

13. Whom did your children marry?

14. What can you tell me about your mother’s parents and ancestors?

15. What do you know about your father’s parents and ancestors?

16. What do you know about your aunts, uncles and cousins from your mothers family?

17. What do you know about your aunts, uncles and cousins from your fathers family?

18. What can you remember about where these extended family members lived?

19. What can you remember about the births, marriages, deaths or burial places of your mother’s siblings?

20. What can you remember about the births, marriages, deaths or burial places of your father’s siblings?

21.  Where are family members buried ?

22. What fond memories do you have about your childhood and life with your parents and siblings?

23. Are you aware of any of the family members on your mother’s side of the family that are involved in genealogy or building their family tree or saving family photos and stories?

24. Are you aware of any of the family members on your father’s side of the family that are involved in genealogy or building their family tree or saving family photos and stories?

25. Are there any of the relatives that you know of that served in any of the major wars?

26. Are there any of the relatives that you know of that immigrated from other countries?

27. Do you know of anyone in the family that has an old family Bible or old family documents?

28.  Do you have any old pictures of the family that you’d be willing to show me?

29.  What are some of the best memories you have had in your life?

30. If there were one lesson that you’ve learned in your life that you’d like to pass on to your children and grandchildren, what would that be?

In both Canada and the United States, and some other countries in the world, one of the best family tree building resources that are accessible are the microfilm archives of the Family History Center from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  This church has over 3000 local Family History Centers throughout the world. If you are in North America, Great Britain, Australia and a few other countries, it is likely that there is a center close to you. Find them by doing a search for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the local phone book or by doing a search on  Google, Yahoo or Bing.

These LDS Family History Centers, are available free of charge to all denominations and you can visit them and get assistance from the volunteers who man the centers. If you know what locality and type of records you are looking for, the volunteers can often help you find out if there are microfilms or microfiche records readily available. Over many decades, The LDS Family History Center has microfilmed many church, parish and government records from hundreds of countries worldwide. They keep their master records in granite mountain vaults in Utah and make copies on request to send out to the satellite centers. When you find a microfilm nor microfiche that may have the information you are looking for, you can order it from your closest LDS Family History Center for a small charge. As of early 2010, the fees are $5.50 for a microfilm and  $.15 per microfiche sheet. They have readers at these centers that you can use free of charge.

There are also many additional on the world wide web for tracing your Scotland Family History.  One of the most helpful of the Scottish online resources is the Scottish Archive Network (do a search engine inquiry for their current site). One of resources they offer is the SCAN online catalog which helps you get information and operational detail about more than 20,000 different collections of historical record archives that are in Scotland.

This catalog is set up to help you find out if a particular Scottish archive has the records you need for your particular family tree research. It tells you what archives are held in Scotland and the location where they are held. The catalog also gives a brief summary of the archive collection, who created the records and then it gives you links to where you can find more detail. It also tells you what language the archive is in (usually English) and what the access restrictions are on the archive if there are any.

Still another valuable Scottish genealogical and family history research resource is the online website at scotlandspeople.gov.uk . There, they have one of the largest online genealogical collections of Scotland original historical and genealogical information. This site has around 80 million records to help you build your Scottish ancestral charts. These records include census records, birth, death, marriage, probate and will records, as well as other records.

When you start exploring the online search engine results as well as the above mentioned online and Family History Center resources ( all of which are readily available to most folks), you will find a large array of information to help you discover those Scottish ancestors and relatives and build more branches on your Scottish family tree.  Happy hunting and much success!