New
Generations, a special place for children …
Welcome to New Generations, the special section the Cuban
Genealogy Club of Miami, Florida is dedicating to fostering an interest in
genealogy among our children. We hope
you will enjoy your visit, and that the tips and suggestions we are providing
will be useful to you as you set out on your wonderful journey of
self-discovery.
To help you on your journey, New Generations has
provided definitions to the most common genealogical terms, suggestions
on how to begin your research, tools you will need to get
started, special projects you may want to consider, a list of suggested
reading, as well as fun and interesting genealogical links.
We also encourage you to invite your parents and other
family members to become involved in your research, as genealogy is a wonderful
way to:
v Bring
families closer together;
v Bridge
the gap between generations;
v Develop
a sense of identity and pride in our heritage; and
v Enhance
our understanding of history and geography.
Finally, let us know what you think of New Generations
and what topics you would like to see covered on this genealogical page that is
dedicated to you.
* * * * * *
COMMON
GENEALOGICAL TERMS
Ancestor - n. a foregoing person or organism (usually deceased)
from whom one is descended; forebear; progenitor --ancestress n. fem.
Ancestral - adj. pert. to ancestry or an ancestor.
Ancestry - n. a series of ancestors; line of descent.
Descendant - n. one descended from an ancestor.
Genealogy
-
n. record of descent from an ancestor; pedigree. --genealogical, adj.
Genealogist - n. one whose vocation is tracing pedigrees.
Family tree - a genealogical chart.
How do I begin my research?
The easiest way to begin is by starting with yourself and
working your way back to your parents, grandparents, and
great-grandparents. You will be able to
get important information by talking to your parents and other family members
about where they came from, the dates they were born, and who their own
ancestors were. These conversations
will provide you with important information you will need in order to make
progress in your research and will open the way to other discoveries. For example, once you have information on
your grandfather’s birthplace, you will probably want to find out about its
history and geography. You will then
discover that being able to place your grandfather in a specific place and time
will make him and his world come to life.
What tools do I need to get started?
The tools you will need are simple and inexpensive: a dictionary, a pen or pencil, a notebook to
write down the information you discover, and a folder or three-ring binder to
keep your information organized. Once
you become more experienced -- and as your parents’ budget or your allowance permits
-- you may want to consider investing in a scanner to preserve family records
and photographs and adding to your personal library those books that relate to
your own research.
Some Special Projects to Consider
- Choose
an ancestor and write a short history about him or her, paying special
attention to telling your readers about their world, such as the religion
they practiced, schools they attended, special hobbies or occupations they
held. You may discover that you
and your ancestor share a love of collecting, though he may have collected
coins while you collect baseball cards.
- Start
a genealogy group or club of your own, where you and your friends help one
another in your genealogical research.
- Ask
your teacher to organize a field trip to the Genealogy Section of your
local public library and have the librarian show you and your fellow
students the library’s special collections and how to retrieve information
from their indexes and databases.
- Hold
Family Nights to discuss your family genealogy with your parents and
siblings.
- Become
the official Family Historian by keeping a written record of important
family events and taking the photographs at reunions, graduations,
weddings, baptisms, birthdays, religious ceremonies and holiday
celebrations.
SUGGESTED READING
(To be linked to Amazon.com, where I got the titles, for
description of book, reviews, and prices)
Bringing History Home: Local and
Family History Projects for Grades K-6
By Gail Hickey
Do People Grow on Family Trees?
Genealogy for Kids and Other Beginners
By Ira
Wolfman
The Family Tree Detective: Cracking
the Case of Your Family’s Story
By Ann
Douglas
Genealogy Just for Kids
By Sherrie
A. Styx
Roots for Kids: A Genealogy Guide
for Young People
By Susan
Provost Beller
GENEALOGICAL LINKS
José Martí in the Works of Carlos Ripoll – www.eddosrios.org
José Julián Martí – www.members.aol.com/enriques/index.html
The Cuban Genealogy Center – www.cubagenweb.org
The World of 1898:
The Spanish-American War Home Page – Library of Congress – www.lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898
Hilda’s Cuban Postcard Museum – www.cubabella.net
Disney.com – www.disney.com
Animal Planet – www.animalplanet.com
Amazon.com – www.amazon.com
National Geographic – www.nationalgeographic.com
National Geographic for Kids – www.nationalgeographic.com/ngforkids
Instituto Cervantes / Cervantes Institute – www.institutocervantes.org
Real Academia Española – www.rae.es/
