Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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20 UCW NOVEMBER 4-10, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Now that so much information has been turned into digital records, the process of acquiring documents and other information is much easier than it used to be. The largest repository of online genealogical records is ancestry.com. To use it a person either needs to have a paid subscription — or they can visit the Cumberland County Library, where it is available for patrons to access at no cost. The staff will help you get started. Just because a family tree is available on ancestry.com doesn't mean that the information is correct. Anyone who is paid subscriber can add records without having to prove the validity of the information. So how to you prove your family information? There are two types of sources: primary and secondary. A primary source is one that offers first-hand knowledge of the accuracy of the information. The best example is a birth certificate. It is issued at the time of the event, contains child and parent names, date and place of birth, is witnessed by someone (typically a doctor), and is recorded in a governmental record. A secondary source uses information that was not necessarily collected first-hand, but after the event. One example is the death certificate. It will contain some first-hand data like name, date and place of death of the person. But it may also contain other data like birth date and parents' names which are "recalled" by the person supplying the information. Bible records fall into that category, as well. Both types of data can be used in proving a family lineage. Both the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution will accept these data types, preferring a primary source when available. Other types of data include census records, Bible records, wills, letters, interviews and military pension or service records. Combining these documents provides the framework for proving lineage. The DAR has created a significant online database (http://dar.org) where you can search records for Revolutionary War patriots for free. If a revolutionary war patriot has been proven, then you can find their lineage information and order a copy of the record online for $10. Many of the records have supporting documentation that can also be purchased for an additional fee. Collect all the information you can about your family, being careful to document where you found it. If you create a family tree on ancestry.com, you can add information as "sources" to your tree by either linking to it or uploading a scanned copy. This will help others members to see what you have proven for your family. Your local DAR or SAR chapters each have a genealogist who can help with research questions. Proving a family lineage can help you become part of one of these societies. Proving Family Lineage by BOB ERVIN The Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution are great resources for finding and proving family lineage. BOB ERVIN, President of the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. A NEW YEAR IS AROUND THE CORNER! IS IT TIME FOR A CAREER CHANGE? Register now for Spring Classes! Classes begin Jan. 11th Call (910) 678-8400 to register today! Questions? www.faytechcc.edu LOCATIONS: Fayetteville Campus (Tony Rand Student Center) Spring Lake Campus Fort Bragg Campus Over 200 programs of study to choose from--degree, certificate, diploma programs! High-quality education; affordable registration; seamless transfer to 4-year colleges. Make the SMART choice for your education! Make the SMART choice for your education!