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Birth records are very important to family historians but recent birth records are more difficult to obtain because privacy law often prohibits the public release of such information until it can be confirmed that individuals died or such time has passed that it is not possible for them to still be living. One thing to look out for when you are using birth records for family history is that there are usually three types; original records that are unchanged and were registered at the time of birth, amended birth records which have been modified, corrected or have new family history information added, and Postponed or delayed – These represent family history records that were issued some time after the birth event as the certificate was not created or registered at that time.
Graveyards and cemeteries are a prime place to dig up more information. Visit the cemetery that you know your ancestors are buried in and look for other family members. It’s a good idea to take a record of the info from the tombstones. Taking a note of wider information that isn’t directly related to your blood line may still be useful later if you hit a family history dead-end, giving you another avenue of family history research. You may not get to visit this cemetery frequently or more than once so it pays to have it recorded. You could use a digital camera to save time recording family history information from the headstones.
The great thing about family history is that there is something for all levels. If you have plenty of time so much the better but if you don’t, you can still achieve a lot by being organized and focused in your family history research. One way to progress if you have limited time is to create a family history plan to motivate you. It’s really just your commitment to yourself that you will try and achieve certain things by a certain date.
Post your information including the family histories you are looking for on our history discussion forum. Family historians get together at the forum to discuss research methods and exchange material. You may get lucky and find missing family member or family history artifact. You don’t have much to lose from posting in many places and seeing what you can turn up but be careful what you post. It’s best not to post your home address or home phone online on open forums. If you want you can exchange further details using the secure arcalife message centre.
