Searching your family tree
Who knows what you’ll find?

Are you the sleuthing kind of person who can solve a mystery novel before reading the final chapter? If so, you might want to try your hand in solving the mysteries of genealogy, well known as “tracing your family tree.”
My journey began in 1968, in Berlin, New Hampshire, when I was 14 years old. It began on a cold winter’s day after a Sunday luncheon at my parents’ home with our guests, my paternal aunt Marie (Marois) Valley and my maternal grandmother, Leona (Ouellette) Clinch. Being the eldest members from both sides of my family, they were always willing to share memories of the past. On this day, I asked them to remember as far back as they could and tell me about the many relatives whom I had never met.
For the next three hours, I was spellbound with the information they shared. I learned about an uncle in Canada who was a pig farmer, about a grandfather who was a blacksmith for a paper mill and a great grandmother who made woolen goods from a hand operated loom.
Little did I know that the information told to me on that day, would lead to a 40 year search through libraries, genealogy centers, and surfing the Internet to trace the names in my family tree. To date, I have over 3,000 family member names, and info from my father’s lineage with the names Marois and Simoneau and from my mother’s family names, Clinch and Ouellet.
So, how do you start the adventure of creating your own family tree?

Get organized for the journey. Since you’ll be gathering lots of information, think ahead about how you want to record the information. Many genealogy guide books have forms that record the data including family group sheets, family trees and descendant charts. For computer savvy folks, there’s nothing more rewarding and convenient than using genealogy software to log and maintain countless sources of text and photos.

Interview your relatives. Ask any and all questions about your family to your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins … anyone! Spend extra time with the eldest members of your family. Often, they will have first-hand knowledge of relatives that goes back many years.

Seek out family photos. Put out an all points bulletin to let people know that you are searching for family photos, but don’t be surprised if you find lots of the older photos give no indication of who’s in them. Ask the family elders to help identify the unknown photo members.

Surf the Internet. The growth in the number of genealogy Web sites has been a boon to family tree research. There are hundreds of Web sites that allow you to type in the name you are researching to find links to information about the name. (It was an online search that identified a man in New Brunswick, Canada who had written a book on the Clinch family lineage with dates, records, and photos, centering on my 4th great grandfather, Peter Clinch, the founder of St. George, New Brunswick.)

Perseverance, patience and lots of investigations can be part of the satisfying journey you take while uncovering your family history.

Favorite genealogy resources

Family Tree Maker – Among the most popular genealogy software available. This program does a great job of organizing and storing information that is readily available to edit or print in various formats. Available at many local or online retailers.

www.cyndislist.com – This is the one-stop Web site for anyone serious about genealogy. The site identifies hundreds of online genealogy Web sites that can help you in your research.

www.ancestry.com – While this Web site requires payment to access information, it is, by far, one of the most comprehensive sites available, giving users instant access to family information stored on the site.

www.turningmemories.com – Run by Maine writer and genealogist, Denis Ledoux, this site gives you practical advice on how to conduct your genealogy search.

Maine Historical Society – With a library and research center, the Society has the largest collection of genealogy information in the state of Maine. Location at 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME Phone (207) 774-1822. www.mainehistory.org

Maine Franco-American Genealogical Society – The center offers great information for anyone doing research on their Franco-American roots. Located at Great Falls School Corner of Academy & High Sts. (High St. Entrance) Auburn, Maine. (207) 786-3327 http://www.avcnet.org/begin/

Maine State Library – A must see resource with an extensive reference section and online computer access to genealogy information. Located at 64 State House Station in Augusta, Maine- (207) 287-5600. http://www.state.me.us/msl/

There are many guide books to genealogy; too many to mention here. Check with your local or online bookstore under Genealogy/Reference.