My Genealogical Research

Hello again everyone! I have covered a few topics on genealogical research and I wanted to share some of the results that I was able to compile over several months of my own research. I was fortunate enough to take a course during my graduate studies on genealogical sources and services and a part of our assignment was to compose a family tree and family record sheets. I was able to fill in most of the information backed up by the records that I found in my research, but note that not everything is completed due to a lack of available records. Remember that this can be a lifelong process.

All of my research centered around an ancestor biography of one individual in my tree that died before I was born. My preliminary findings led me to choose my maternal great-grandfather, William Edward Shacklady (1899-1978). My grandmother, his youngest daughter, is the oldest living relative in my family and provided a great deal of information to me in this endeavor on top of my search through records using Ancestry, FamilySearch, and other databases.

Here are my family tree and records sheets Family Group Sheets and Tree.

And here is the compilation of all my research about my great-grandfather Ancestor Biography

You can see how I follow all of the appropriate guidelines I have discussed before with naming, dating, and citation standards.

I was able to paint a large picture of the life of an ancestor that was born over a century ago. Obviously the further back you research, the more challenging it becomes because of the scarcity of records. Not everyone will be able to fill in all the spaces especially if you don’t have a living relative who could fill those gaps that official records might not cover. That is why it is important to talk to your older family members and document their memories and lives as early as you can.

I want to be able to compile this kind of information for as many ancestors as possible and I realize what a herculean task that is. Just know that the time and effort you put into your research does pay off in the end in some way.

Any personal questions, comments, or requests for assistance can be made to me by email: rvoyles@lindenhurstlibrary.org