Rockdale County GaArchives Photo Document.....Newsletter-Rockdale County 
Genealogical Society January 24, 2008
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Larry C. Knowles knonga2temp@gmail.net April 15, 2008, 9:36 am

Source:             Larry C. Knowles, Conyers Georgia
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Newsletter-Rockdale County Genealogical Society [page 1 of 2]

Rockdale County Genealogical Society Newsletter-Supplement January 2008 
                                  Come Join Us in 2008!
 
The Rockdale County Genealogical Society is a small-but growing, group of folks who share a 
passion for family history. We usually meet on the 2nd Sunday of the month-January to November-
at 3 p.m. in the Nancy Guinn Library on Green Street [near the old Conyers depot]. Notice of 
meetings-or any changes-are posted in the Rockdale Citizen, or in the library lobby. We have many 
"expert" members each month who are happy to advise you, and great programs on many 
interesting subjects, such as how to edit your heirloom photos, or trace your family lineage through 
DNA. There are no annual dues, though we do have a "dollar jar" for donations. Join us in the New 
Year! Come learn more about genealogy with us, then extend that knowledge to your own family 
research [for more information on meetings check with the Nancy Guinn Library circulation desk].
                                <<<<  Tips for new genealogists  >>>>
 
If you love a good mystery novel, or enjoy the many police and forensic shows on 
TV, then genealogy might be for you. You will probably be amazed by how much 
information is available on your ancestors. And, you absolutely never know what 
you might find! Of its many analogies, the nature of genealogical research seems 
to resemble more closely detective work. In all cases you will work from clues, 
from what you know and learn, to the unknown. And, you must always verify the 
results by seeking primary records, those generated at or near the time and 
place. Secondary sources such as indexes, books, and most online records are 
very helpful but need to be checked for accuracy. As Sergeant Joe Friday of TV's 
"Dragnet" fame said long ago-"Just the facts, Mam, just the facts". 
 
Do your homework. That is, learn all you can about your immediate family; learn 
where they were born, where they lived, and married. If you are fortunate enough 
to have living grandparents visit them. Take your cassette recorder or video 
camera. Most older folks love to talk about 'old times'. Don't hurry them, 
record everything they say, ask them about brothers & sisters, about their 
parents and grandparents. Ask where they lived or moved. Ask if they know about 
a country of origin. Be sure to ask if there is a family bible, or a known 
family historian. And don't forget about your collateral kin; cousins, Aunts or 
Uncles, who may remember more details, or who might have inherited family 
documents or photos. Make as many family contacts as you can. In my own family, 
my father's first cousin had a large portrait of my 2nd great-grandfather (1833-
1865)-and, my 1st cousin, twice removed [my grandfather's first cousin], had his 
daily 1852-1858 diary. When you have learned as much as you can from these 
living sources, you will have the clues to begin your serious genealogy 
research. 
 
 
 
If you have learned a family's place of residence, a good place to start is with 
the 1930 US Census, the most recently released. At Nancy Guinn, and many other 
"PINES" libraries, the online censuses are available through Ancestry.com or 
Heritage Quest. Microfilm copies are also available at many other sites. When 
you find your kinfolk in 1930, you are ready to move further back to 1920, 1910, 
etc. Always copy "complete families" and record them as family groups. Pedigree 
charts, or trees, are nice but family group records are the most useful. With 
the exception of the 1890 census, which was lost in a fire, the censuses contain 
complete families back to 1850. Early years had special censuses; among those 
were slaves-not usually named-and manufacturing & agricultural lists. In rural 
areas the latter might tell you how many oxen, cows, horses, hogs, or sheep your 
ancestor had, or how many bushels of corn & wheat he had on hand.  

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