Genealogi

Keith Thomas wrote: 'The justification of all historical study must ultimately be that it enhances our self-consciousness, enables us to see ourselves in perspective, and helps us towards that greater freedom which comes from self-knowledge.'¹

Thomas justified researching family history. But researching family history is a personal matter. And the activity is much more valuable than the result (cf V. H. Galbraith²).

Reference documents

Reference documents are secondary documents - in contrast to primary source materials - useful in studying family history. Timeline documents put the vital events of ancestors in linear perspective, so the events can be compared to a timeline of political and social history. Genealogical databases organise the vital events, a step towards processing data information.

Timeline documents are in Microsoft Word 2003 format (*.doc) or Adobe Acrobat v. 7.0 format (*.pdf). Genealogical database files are in GEDCOM 5.5 format (*.ged).

Denmark: Northern Fyn

The timeline documents for parishes in northern Fyn are still working documents.

Research, reading the Kirkebøger [church records], Skifteprotokol [probate records], and Fæstebrev [copy-hold contracts], is continuing. Not all events in the timeline documents have been fully transcribed. The timeline documents will be updated as the research proceeds and transcriptions are finalised.

The timeline documents are BIG (1 - 4 MB), because they include images, from the Kirkebøger, of the manuscript recording the vital events.

The images are included to minimise transcription errors and to show 'the real stuff of history - the actual contemporary records of the period'.

Documents available for download today may include:

Direct ancestors of Hans Jensen (born 12 July 1814, Katshegne Huset; buried 26 January 1881 from Vigerslev Kirke) from Vigerslev and Søndersø parishes (VigerslevSøndersø.pdf, about 4 MB);
Direct ancestors of Karen Rasmusdatter (baptised 19 January 1816, Nørre Højrup Kirke; died 13 February 1893, Odense) from Grindløse and Nørre Højrup parishes (GrindløseNrHøjrup.doc, about 3.7 MB); and
Direct ancestors of Rasmus Madsen (born 7 February 1781, Fremmelev; baptised 11 February 1781, Lunde Kirke; buried 13 March 1843 from Nr. Højrup Kirke) from Lunde and Lumby parishes (LundeSognLumbySogn.doc, about 2.0 MB).

Germany

The timeline documents for German ancestors are compact, in contrast to the Danish ones, because they do not contain images of the original church records.

Documents available for download today may include :

Direct and indirect ancestors of Lorenz Müller (born 5 December 1812, Lorch am Rhein, Hertzogtum Nassau; died 24 May 1882, Toowoomba, Australia) and Juliana Mohr (born 7 May 1816, Lorch am Rhein, Hertzogtum Nassau; died 8 March 1882, Toowoomba, Australia);
Direct and indirect ancestors of Ottile Pauline Villinger (born 10 September 1830, Rottweil am Neckar, Württemberg; died 12 July 1859 in Rottweil), Beda Maximiliam Osterwald (born 26 May 1828, Rottweil; died 18 January 1878, Muhen, Kanton Aargau, Switzerland), and Emma Marie Villinger/Osterwald (born 25 September 1857, Rottweil; died 21 May 1927, Emerald, Australia); and
Direct ancestors of Emma Marie Villinger/Osterwald, Lorenz Müller, and Juliana Mohr (Timeline Deutsch.pdf, about 21 KB).

Australia

The timeline documents do not contain any images.

Documents available for download likely include:

Direct ancestors of Angus Robertson and Mary Josephine Philomena Miller (Robertson-Miller.pdf, about 12 KB)
Direct ancestors of William John Hansen and Mary Ellen Coyle

1. Keith Thomas, 'History and anthropology,' Past and present, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1963), pp. 3-24.

2. Vivian H. Galbraith, a professional historian, wrote: "The study of history is a personal matter, in which the activity is generally more valuable than the result. I see little value in the reading of endless popular narratives, however well written. The historical student should pass, almost at the beginning, to the real stuff of history - the actual contemporary records of the period he is studying."