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A wedding means many things to many people. To a person interested in their family history, it means a new branch on the family tree! As a bride, you are probably taking on a new "surname", one that comes with it's own history, traditions and cultures. As a groom you will be adding to the family tree with the hopes of carrying on the family surname. With your marriage comes the uniting of two separate, unrelated families. It is also a time when family is on the minds of the couple and therefore an ideal time to research the family tree. Just knowing which family members to invite to the wedding becomes an introduction into your family's relationships. Your research into your family's history can become as simple as recording the names, dates, addresses, births, marriages and deaths, or the more complex side of genealogy where you research an individual's movements over the course of their lifetime. Either way, your recording of events helps keep your family history alive. The simplest way to start is to gather the names of all the family members. Start with the relatives you will be inviting to the wedding! Get their full name - first middle, last. In the case of women, the last name should also include their "maiden" name. Also make sure you have the birth date, place of birth, city, county, and state. Of course you don't want to forget the date and location of their wedding. You can "draw" up a simple family tree, or use one of the many preprinted forms available at many bookstores. For the computer literate, many good family tree programs are available. A good one is Family Tree Maker by Broderbund. This program allows you to enter information, add photos and sound clips for each family member and allows you to print a family tree, a completed family history book and many other items. It makes a great gift for the couple just starting out. The internet has become the genealogist's tool of choice. Research into your family history can be done through the thousands of sites on the internet dedicated to genealogy. Your local library is also an excellent source for genealogy information. Many libraries have excellent genealogy departments and don't forget the National Archives in Fort Worth. Volumes of family histories and historic documents exist for the avid researcher. Whatever the reason you choose to preserve your family history, you will become more familiar with and connected to the many generations of your family and you will be assembling information that will be of use and interest to other members of your family, including your own descendants. |
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