Vital records are the recorded documentation created by and kept under government authority that document the main life events of an individual. Vital records include birth certificates, marriage licenses and/or certificates, divorce certificates, and death certificates and are an integral component in your family history research.
Research + Documentation
How to Document the Undocumented
One thing that comes up time and again when researching how to document one’s family history are the legal documents that can and should be used to confirm an ancestors identity and their relationships to others. These documents include vital records (birth, death, adoption, and marriage certificates), probate records/Wills, newspaper notices/Obituaries, and Census records, much of which can be found or ordered online if not held within your personal family records.
But what if you don’t have access to such records? Or what if they simply don’t exist?
This is the conundrum I’ve found myself in with multiple passed loved ones spanning three generations on my mom’s side. And so, as I’ve asked myself how to document the undocumented, I thought, “I surely can’t be alone, can I?”!
5 Ways to Find Clues About Your LGBT Ancestors
Finding clues about your LGBT ancestors can be challenging, as LGBT individuals and their relationships were often hidden or actively suppressed in many historical periods. However, not all is lost and there are a few angles from which you can approach your research that can help you fill in the gaps and establish a clearer picture of your queer kin.
How to Best Label Your Photos
As any family historian knows, finding a new (or new-to-you) photo is a feeling like none other. Flipping that photo over to find it labeled only sweetens the pot! Seeing the face of kin and knowing their name, when the photo was taken and where it was taken is truly like hitting a gold mine!
Truth be told, though, life is busy! And more often than not we’re not thinking about labeling photos, let alone thinking ahead to who might want/need to know who is in a given photo, when it was taken or where we were.