I have hit a brick wall...

I have hit a brick wall:

Okay, so let's say you don't know the names etc of your grandparents (maybe due to adoption or early death of your parents). Or perhaps you got stuck somewhere up your family tree and don't know how to continue.

STEP 1: I use a site called Geni.com - there is already so much research done on there, you might just pick up some information of there (or whatever the site that you might be using)

STEP 2: Your other option is to seek help from some discussion forums. When I was searching for some information in my family tree, I went onto all local and international sites and posted the same question everywhere. This is a waiting game and some hit and miss answers, but eventually someone emailed me with some information (part of their tree) and I was able to make the link.

STEP 3: Google, Google, Google...this might sound random, but I have found so much information just by googling someones name. There are some people who manage their own sites with their personal family trees and your person if interest might just be part of someone else't family tree.

STEP 4: You can contact your genealogical society. The GGSA people are friendly and are always willing to lend a hand where they are able to.

STEP 5: If you are researching a particular surname try researching from the top. In other words, I was looking to research the Coetzee branch of my family. I came across some information regarding the progenitor (there is only one as he was called Couche before his surname changed when he came to South Africa), This meant that all Coetzee's must be linked via this progenitor. What made it difficult is that he arrived in SA in the 1600's which meant that there was about 10 to 11 generations between him and me/my husband. Also, families in generations past had A LOT of children - trying to track them down the generations becomes tedious, but remember that this is a lifetime project and patience is key. The breakthrough will come - the question is when...

The key here is PATIENCE...remember, genealogical research is a lifetime project. You might come across information that baffles you or has incorrect dates, but you will eventually figure out which sources you can trust. Keep digging, if you need to take a break (even if it is a month or two) - fresh eye on a matter is as good as starting anew. The effort will be worth it when you find out that your great grandfather was a polygamist and no one knew until the day he died. You might even be able to share some of the research info with family members who might find it very interesting.

Whatever your struggle or wherever you might be getting stuck, somewhere there must be an answer - you might just have to dig really deep.

Happy searching!!!

Where do I start?

GETTING STARTED

If you grew up with your parents or at least one of them, you should have a pretty good idea of where to start.
The best information will always be information from those who are still living. I will use mine as an example. Along each of these steps, write down or document your findings. See my previous post on how to organise your information.

STEP 1: Determine what it is that you want to know. this will change with time, but my first project was:
I married a Coetzee. I have heard stories that my great-grandmother on my dad's mom's side was also a Coetzee. My mission was to find out if our family lines ever linked up somewhere.

STEP 2: Write down what you know with full names, dates and places of birth/death

My name L Byleveld....
My dad's names JMD Byleveld
His parents names JDH Byleveld and PS Faasen
My mom's side of the family was not important for this project, but you can put that down if you have the information.

This is pretty much what I knew. I know PS Faasen's mom was a Coetzee, but I had no more info than that.

STEP 3: Speak to your oldest living relatives. I unfortunately don't have any of my grandfathers left, but both my grandmothers are still alive. Luckily for me I was researching my grandmothers family.
It is important to note how to write down citations and sources - but I will deal with that in another post.

I then spoke to my gran over facebook (as she is awesome like that) and she lives about 1400km away from me. She told me that she got her maternal grandmothers names. She could also give me her parents names and her grandparents names. This helps a lot as this gives you information for 5 generations already. If you don't have any grand left you can get at least 4 generations worth of information together before even starting with any in-depth research.

PS Faasen's parents are HF Coetzee and NJ Faasen
HF Coetzee's parents were MS Stoltz and HF Coetzee


STEP 4: Start researching.  In South Africa one of the best sources to use is a death notice as this contains most of the vital information. I have seen some very incomplete documents  that have limited information, but there was definitely useful information that I could use. Now, getting a death notice isn't always the easiest task and sometime you just won't find it at all (for various reasons).

The best place to start searching would be on the eGGSA (Genealogical Society of South Africa) site. They have pictures of gravesites (just search by name) and you might just find it (with dates). They also have church registers and much more.

http://www.eggsa.org/librarySearch/searchGraves.htm

The next place to search is in the National Archives of South Africa (NASA) - as far as I know they contain documents that are 15 years and older. Search by name - I have found many positive search results her. This is where you will find death notices. It is important to note that this only goves you the basic information for the file. Once you have confirmed that this is indeed the person that you are searching for, you can order photographs to be taken of the contents of the file to be sent to you. There is a cost for each page they photograph - latest prices are on the eggsa site under the following link:

http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm300dl
http://www.eggsa.org/sales/help_archive_docs.htm

From these documents you will find most of your information. If you have hit a dead end you can always try and guess a name based on the traditional naming of South African families. First born son gets paternal grandfathers names, next son gets maternal grandfather's names, 3rd son gets fathers names and the rest are given names by choice. First born daughters are given maternal grandmothers names, 2nd daughter gets paternal grandmother's names and 3rd daughter gets mother's names. 4th and following are given names by choice. This could however be different for each family, so be careful not to rely on this, but just use it as a guide.

Hope this helps you to get started.

Happy researching!!!

Organising your research - PART 1 (Sorting and numbering)

Hi all

So, you have all this information but no idea where to go or what to do with it? Believe me, I know.

Should it be all digital? Should it be online? Should it be printed? Should it be both? This is every new researchers question.
The short answer is: It is up to you.
I have made mine digital which I back up on a regular basis as well as save it on the cloud. This ensures that you have 2 extra copies in case your hard drive crashes.

This is how I have done my saving of files:

- My family Tree:  This was a trial and error exercise since I didn't know if I wanted to have the software version on my computer or whether I wanted it online. In the end, I opted to have it online since other people can add information as well the fact that you won't lose your whole family tree if your hard drive decides to die.

- My filing: I have a folder for every ancestor on my PC. They each contain a number.
As an example:

I am 1 - Byleveld, L
My dad is 2 - Byleveld, JMD (His dad 4. his mom 5)
My mom will be 3 - Broodryk, CP (Her dad 6, her mom 7)
I also have a spreadsheet with the basic family tree indicating everyones number.

This system starts making a lot of sense if you remember that the person you are looking at's dad will be their number doubled and the mother doubled +1. As an example I am number 1, my dad is 2 (double 1) and my mom is 3 (double 1 + 1). Or my mom is 3, her dad is 6 (double 3) and her mom is 7 (double 3 + 1). Eventually you will be able to get the hang if it and your folders on your PC will read 1. Byleveld, L and any documents relating to the ancestor is in that file. You also always have 2 checks - a name and a number which simplifies things. If you are using a genealogy program, you can renumber each person according to this numbering system as well.

This just worked for me, but you might be able to use any other numbering system that works for you.

Hope this helps.

I will be back with some more tips on organising your information soon!

Here we are...

Hi everyone

My name is Laverne Coetzee (born Byleveld) and I am 28 years old. I live in Cape Town, South africa with my husband and I have been interested in doing my family history research for the past 3 or 4 years.

Although I am also still quite new at it - and to be honest, I have taking extended breaks from it every now and then - I would like to share some tips and resources with those who are also interested in researching their family genealogy.

Mine is obviously still a work in progress and I will share my journey as I go. I really hope that I will be able to help some other (especially South Africans) people out there to discover their rich history.

Please let me know in the comments section what you think and if you have any tips to add.

Enjoy!!