Many famous genealogies are recorded in history. These genealogies include those of Jesus Christ’ and many famous personalities from science, art, politics, sports and royalties.
With today’s modern tools, one can make a do-it-yourself research of his own ancestral blood line. And with modern electronic equipment getting cheaper, a video documentary of one’s genealogy can be a perfect idea.
Start with talking to your nearest relatives – aunts, uncles, grandparents. Then from the initial list of relatives gathered, try to find more links about them. For example, if you aunt tells you that a great-great grandfather lives in the next town, go to the said town. Interview some known relatives in this town. Also include the neighbors and local groups or council if there are any. As your list grows longer and you follow more links, the number will grow substantially. Visit local libraries and famous locations. Of course while doing this, capture videos and photographs using your camera.
Start drawing your family tree. Place the names, dates and special events related to the person that you have gathered to the respective points on the tree.
Make sure you verify all the information you have gathered. Check out the records from your local town registry or church. Go to libraries. Many ancient and rare books have contents that are not available anywhere. Also make sure you get the correct spellings and exact dates. A misspelled name even by a single letter can lead to confusions that are very hard to trace.
Do intensive internet research. Many events can be verified with thousands of articles online. Make sure that you do not stick to one website alone. Always remember that although the internet contains millions of information, many of these are junks. Compare your finding and draw out common information from different sources. You can also download photographs from the internet. Some of you finding in your local town may need rare photos that are available online. Make sure you acknowledge the source or respect copyrights.
Join online forums and data sharing. You family can grow from just being in your town to having relatives from different parts of the world. It will also make your documentary more interesting with unexpected discoveries. Who knows you may have relatives who are scientists, famous artists or of royal blood.
After you have gathered all your data and verified them, start writing your documentary. Include all in the interesting details and trivia. Use software to edit your video and photographs; there are hundreds you can choose from. Make sure you have video footages of relatives when they were interviewed. Add dramatic musical background. Voila! You have a documentary. Distribute your documentary to friends and relatives through the internet. Make several copies on CD. This will make perfect for several family occasions like Christmas.
With today’s technology, your documentary should be able to last for at least a hundred years and longer when replicated to newer technologies. This can be an archive you can hand down for many more generations to come.
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Do you want to know exactly who your ancestors were: where they lived; what they did for a living; whether that story of highwaymen, criminals and corrupt relatives is factual, or a figment of Grandma's over-active imagination? |
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