One of the most challenging aspects of researching your family history is that quite often you find your family tree is growing close to a brick wall! Just when you think you are moving along and family information is falling into place, you hit a brick wall where there seems to be no record of Uncle Bill or Auntie Annie in their home village.
What to do? One of the first lessons to learn when doing genealogical research is patience. When you eagerly send off a letter to find out about your ancestor, it may take a long time before you hear a reply. You must remember that there are the barriers of distance and language; your letter may end up on a dusty desk somewhere and languish for weeks before someone takes the time to reply. The reward is that the information you might receive just might take you down a whole new path of research, so don't lose hope.
Another lesson is to be organized. Keep track of all the letters you send out, and the dates when they were mailed. Follow up letters may be required. Be sure to keep track of spelling; we all know how many variations there are on the spelling of the same name. Picture, if you will, a young immigrant just arriving in Canada many decades ago. He or she speaks no English; the clerk in the immigration office speaks no Ukrainian/Swedish/Polish/German/Hungarian, whatever the case may be. They both do their best, but there is no guarantee that the spelling listed for this weary traveller in the new land is correct.
The amazing computer makes it possible to do a lot of research on-line, where your information might come up on the screen right in front of you if you access the right site. There are many genealogical sources to help you with your research, but you might have to do some hiking on the information highway before you find the exact site that you want to visit. Always remember that even if you log on to a certain site and it is not the right one for your particular situation, you are still gaining valuable knowledge about how to narrow down your search.
The Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society will be holding their next regular meeting on Tuesday, November 8. New members are always welcome, and don't be shy to come to the meeting if you are just getting started in your research. The group has members at all levels of research, but everyones share a common interest in learning more about the past, and their enthusiasm will make you eager to get started! The Yorkton Public Library is where this friendly group usually meets, but until the Library re-opens, there is an alternate meeting location. For more details, call Glenn at 782-7969 or Dave at 783-1093.
The Genealogy Society meets once a month, and welcomes anyone who is interested in working on family or community genealogy. You'll find a wealth of information and enthusiastic people to share their research experiences with you. There is so much to learn, and it is all fascinating.
Every family has a story: discover yours, and "fast forward to the past" with the Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society.
