Digging up your roots

Jeff Green | Feb 17, 2011

Photo: Doug Lovegrove's computer genealogy seminar in Hartington

On February 9, those looking for help in unearthing their family trees got the ins and outs at a seminar called “Computer Genealogy” presented by Verona resident Doug Lovegrove. Sponsored by the Portland & District Heritage Society, the seminar guided participants through the steps involved and focused primarily on using the computer as the tool to get them there.

Lovegrove is a self-professed genealogy addict and has traced the Lovegrove family tree all the way back to 1719. “I usually start by warning people that once you get hooked it can be a hazard as far as using up your spare time. It definitely becomes consuming.”

His seminar connects searchers with the computer tools they need. “I'm basically showing people how to use the Internet and the computer program ‘Personal Ancestry File’, which can be downloaded for free.”

To begin, searchers need a computer, an Internet connection, and the program. Doug also suggests creating a bookmark folder and having a tape recorder to conduct interviews.

Doug recommends starting with the known family and going back from there. He emphasizes the fact that “the best resources are your oldest living relatives. It is not just names that you are looking for but all of the stories that go along with them.”

When looking up the names on his own birth certificate Doug recalled, “Two were those of my parents and the third name, which I did not know, was the name of the cabdriver who drove them to the hospital where I was born.”

Important information to record is of course names, including nicknames, dates and places of birth, death, marriage, baptism and burial. Finding and scanning all certificates is recommended.

Doug suggests beginning a search by using a Google search and entering the full name as best you know it. The more specific you can be the narrower your search will be. As a resource Doug also suggested using related computer genealogy links like the Canadian Genealogy and History links as well as the Immigrant ship lists. “Basically most of us at some point immigrated to this country so these lists can be very useful.” Other useful links include Library and Archives Canada

There are also sites like Ancestry.com or .ca that offer a free 14-day trial.

One of the most important points that Doug stressed was to keep up-to-date records of where you've been, what you've found and where you need to go next. “Otherwise,” he says, “you can spend a lot of time searching and then have to end up retracing your steps.”

The seminar attracted a number of people, each looking for specific information. Danka Brewer has been searching for her native ancestry and is now looking to the Internet to help her complete her search, which began first on paper in 1991. “I'm particularly interested in this seminar in order to broaden my search and will use the computer to access a number of records that are available online.”

If tracing your family roots is something you're thinking of pursuing, Doug Lovegrove is the man to offer you the tools and advice you'll need.