The most interesting and useful thing I learned this week came from the module on Searching and Researching. Genealogy requires that you search for factual information and then follow up with research. Examples of how you might search for genealogy information include using:
- a search engine like Google to find a genealogy website or blog with information about your surname, and/or
- a website like Ancestry.com that provides access to databases that you can use to search for facts about your ancestor
After finding facts about your ancestors, then the genealogy research begins. For example, after you learn that your French-Canadian ancestor lived during the time of the Seven Years War and served in the military at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in 1758, you begin research to find out more about the history of Louisbourg and what you can find about the role your ancestor had.
I am in the process of researching my sixth great grandparents who were married in Louisbourg on August 28, 1758, one month after British the siege at Louisbourg. By reading various history resources, I learned that after the battle, the British were deporting civilians by ship to France and the military prisoners of war to England. I am curious as to how my ancestors were not deported. They stayed in Louisbourg and had several children.
I am speculating that my ancestor, Francois Bittner, may have been one of the Volontaires Etrangers, a regiment composed largely of Swiss mercenaries at Louisbourg.
- Is it possible he was one of the deserters during the siege?
- Did he join the British after the surrender?
- Why didn’t my ancestors get deported?
I will do more research to see if I can find information to answer these questions. In genealogy research, you start by making a hypothesis and then do research to see if you can find the necessary evidence to back your hypothesis. I have used this process in the past in my research of other ancestors and sometimes you make a great find and other times, you hit the proverbial “brick wall”. Ideas from this module that I will put into practice in the future include: reading, scanning, looking at, and listening to information resources to develop research questions.
My advice to genealogists is a tip for being organized and keeping track of your information when gathering your primary and secondary sources in your research.
TIP:
Experiment with citation management tools, like Zotero, to see if this helps you keep track of your research resources more efficiently.