You Come First

Thursday, April 13th, 2017     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation
By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Now before you get all in a dither, let me explain. I’m not talking about first as in “it’s all about me.” I see things from a Christian world view, so to me, God is always first.  I’m speaking from a genealogical point of view, and in that case, you do come first.


When I first began searching my family roots back in 1999 or so, I had no clue where to begin. I just knew that I was born a DuPree, Mama’s maiden name, and who my  grandparents were.


My DAC Membership Certificate

DAR and DAC 
All I had at my disposal was a set of two books called The DuPre Trail, compiled by Emimae Pritchard Langley, given to me by my dad’s twin brother, William. I’d had these since I was sixteen. When I tried to make sense of the information inside, it was like trying to read the proverbial Greek. So, they sat, untouched, in a drawer or box for all those years, until one day at church, someone mentioned that one of our choir members was the Regent of the local chapter or the Daughters of the American Revolution. I approached her and told her I might be able to prove my lineage for DAR. She put me in touch with the chapter registrar and a whole new world was opened up to me. Since then, I have proven my DuPree line for the DAR and my Lanier line for the Daughters of the American Colonists.

One of the first things I learned is that in doing one’s genealogy, always begin with you. Then list all the people you know, generation by generation. In every generation, the number of grandparents doubles. By the time you get to your four times great grandparents, you have sixty-four grandparents. And that is just for that one generation. It can become mind-boggling to keep up with all of those people.

This is where a good chart comes in. These can be found by googling ancestral or lineage charts. Some are free. You can print it and begin your work. Fill in all the blanks that you can. Again, you come first. Then your parents, followed by your grandparents, and each subsequent generation until you have filled in as much information as you currently know.

Proof of the Marriage of My Great Great Grandparents

A Paper Trail 
 Websites like Ancestry are a great tool in doing your family research. But, a word of warning, just as in anything else, you cannot believe everything you read on Ancestry. After all, it’s just people like you and me who are providing the information. I don’t always succeed in this but I do try. Never post anything without a paper trail.


Warning
Another word of warning. You will very likely find information that isn’t pleasant to hear for the first time. Just keep in mind that these may be your ancestors, but they were only human. They had flaws, and maybe challenges that we cannot begin to imagine these days. I think that, for the most part, they did what they had to do in order to survive or to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads.

Tell us your most amazing or surprising find. Do you have royalty in your tree? Do you have a Patriot? Or was your family member a Loyalist? I have some of each. Just be sure not to post anything that would be hurtful to any members of your family. I may write Digging Up Dirt Mysteries, but this isn’t the place to air dirty laundry. Have fun, and remember, you come first. 

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