(715) 447-8235
135 Riverside Dr.
Gilman, WI 54433
502 N. Broadway Street
Stanley, WI 54768
Genealogy
Genealogy
Discover Your History Through Self Research
Personal Attention to Detail
Researching genealogy, or your family tree is a complex process that uses historical records and genetic analysis to trace back your lineage. The information you gather from different, reliable and relevant sources will help in creating conclusions as to who is in the family history. As you begin your research, the rule of thumb is starting with current family stories and documents and working backwards. This creates a foundation in which lays the ground work for examining and evaluating historical records for evidence about ancestors and other relatives, or kinship ties and the events that occurred in their past lives.
Types of Records to Research From:
- Birth/Death Records
- Marriage/Divorce Records
- Adoption Records
- Biographies/Biographical Profiles
- Cemetery Lists/Funeral Homes
- Census Records
- Religious Records: Baptism/Christenings
- Confirmations
- Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
- Funeral Records/Obituaries
- Court/Criminal/Civil Records
- DNA Tests
- Emigration, Immigration or Naturalization Records
- Land/Property Records and Deeds
- Medical Records
- Military Records
- Newspaper Articles
- Occupational Records
- Passports
- Schools/Colleges/Alumni Associations
- Social Security/ Pension Records
- Tax Records
- Voter Registrations
- Wills/Probates
- DMV
- Social Media/Online Profiles
Family names are one of the most important pieces of genealogical information which can cause a significant amount of confusion for most people. The transmission of names across generations, marriages and other relationships is where most of the difficulty comes from in the research. More often than not, this shows up in marriages, divorces, remarriages, adoptions, nicknames, etc with no explanation as to who, when or why it was changed.
Dates are more difficult to recall years after an event, and most easily mistranscribed than other pieces of data. Usually dates of civil registrations, births or baptisms are typically accurate because they are recorded near the time of the event. There is so much information at your finger tips now days where you can start your research with several websites that can guide you through the process. The form you'd want to start with is the family group sheet for each family in each generation. We have them at the museum or you can go online and download them for free. If you are confused or lost in your research, contact the Stanley Area Historical Society - 715-644-0464 to leave a message. We staff the office on Tuesday's during the summer months.