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Who are you? Find out! Genealogy offers chance to piece together a life�s jigsaw puzzle By Judith Katzmark One of the most rewarding pastimes is genealogy, or discovering family relationships. Becoming the family genealogist or historian is fun, yet challenging. A word of caution, though, this activity can become very addictive. So, how do you start? Begin with yourself and work back. Write down everything you know. Use plain paper or begin with family group sheets. Using a form is better because it can guide you in what to put down. At first, you will be entering names, dates, places. Start with your personal data, your spouse's, your children's. Gather your documents � birth, marriage, death and burial certificates. These are the basic links of proof. As you work back, you will discover that relationships double: you are one, your parents two, your grandparents four, your great-grandparents eight, and so on, not unlike mirrors that multiply a person's face. At times some facts will come easily; other times you will hit a "brick wall," a dead end. It takes time and comes together piece by piece, much like a jigsaw puzzle. Where do you find all this information? Your own files. Some may come from a relative, a family Bible, old letters, newspaper articles or clippings, or court records. As more data are gathered, the story of your family unfolds. Your research will take you back several generations, and you will discover how your ancestors lived, even survived under the harshest of conditions. Did they travel west by covered wagon or fight in the Civil War? Were they in the wave of emigrants who came from everywhere? Did they mourn their loved ones through the 1917 flu epidemic? Did your ancestors live through the Great Depression? How did they work, play? Whom did they love, hate? These are history's games, and your ancestors were the players. People who are connected to you will no longer remain merely names and dates but will develop as feeling, thinking beings revealed through your research. As we live in a fast-paced, mobile society, we often overlook lessons of the past and their relevance to our lives. People, linked far back into the stretches of time, lived differently from you and me. You will know the reasons. Now is the time to bring those silent witnesses forward and preserve them for future generations. Many resources are available to help you get started: printed materials, Internet sites, historical, and genealogical societies � all with the same goal: to help you preserve your family history. Jackson County has such a society. The Rogue Valley Genealogical Society formed in 1966, and its library rates as one of the best in Southern Oregon. Among its collections are books, films, maps from all over the U.S. as well as other countries. You will find marriage lists from Tennessee, a census film from Iowa, or the cemetery books of Jackson County. RVGS has forms to help you organize your data, and, more important, knowledgeable people. Dedicated volunteers give their time and talent to help others. Visit the society at 133 S. Central Avenue in Medford to begin your search. The library hours are 1 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 9:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays; and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Tuesdays and Sundays. Phone 770-5848 or visit our Web site at http://www.grrtech.com/rvgs Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.