Genealogy from Africa!

Some lines are going to be easier to research than others, most notably those of royalty and in America notably that of government officials, land-owners, military or historical figures and going from there back to royalty.

Tuskegee Airmen - some of the most heroic pilots of WWII

Trust me, everyone's related to royalty and nobility at some point.  GREAT!  I wouldn't think that you're in line to become the king of the Isle of Mann anytime soon because that one got taken in 2007 by an American.  But we're also related to some not-as-historic individuals who were faithful and good people loved of heaven and who await this work to be done for them.  In fact, we're related to more of them than we are royalty.  And unfortunately the strange winds of circumstance and fortune make some records harder to find than others such as the records of African ancestors.

What does this mean?  Well it means that some aspects of the work are going to be more difficult and you'll rely on oral traditions and stories in many instances more than others.  But it also means you're going to be having a lot of success and that your work is less likely to have been done already and you have the potential to be one of the greatest blessings on earth to them through the veil as you do this work. Proceed with prayer!

If in doing your work you branch back over to the African continent, remember most of Africa was colonized by European powers at various points, most notably the British and French.  Large parts of Africa still speak English and French among other European languages. There is the possibility of tapping into family lines that have documentation in countries that were colonized and who kept records under the administrative rules of their respective empires.

For more tips and resources on doing work among African lines in America, check New Family Search, Cyndi's List,

Working Overseas: British Isles Genealogy

While it is very tempting to see just how far back you can go, one of the difficulties I've found with American genealogy is that most of our ancestors?  Came from somewhere else. 

And between here and there (usually) are two big oceans and very often a bunch of different languages.

This in mind, as my English / Irish / Scottish ancestry has been here so long (1620) and most recently I'm second generation French/Italian American, I've had some choices to make in terms of my family history.

I've decided that generally I'm not going to do extensive genealogy overseas for a few reasons (you have to decide for yourself what you wish to do).

One is the issue of languages - I don't speak but one other language of my ancestry fluently enough to allow me to work with foreign language documents without extensive and time consuming help from Google Translate.

The other is that of resources.  Going to my local historical museum in Alto Pascio, Toscanna, Italy for a day visit just isn't in the cards.

HOWEVER, I speak good English really well!  And resources for American genealogy are abundant for me here which means I can contribute much more to the work by working and staying here in America than I can by about anything I'd do going overseas.  That and its less expensive to work here primarily.

So unless I find a family tree or a treasure trove that takes me overseas fairly effortlessly, I've personally decided to focus here in the United States.

But I did find a UK website for British Isles Genealogy if you're interested in doing some work over there as a place to start without having to purchase the international subscription of Legacy (which is free at Family History Centers).  Additionally, Cyndi's List has an extensive link to the UK  as well as New Family Search has some resources as well.

Some things to know about the UK.

Often, the Canadians, New Zealanders, Irish etc., are all called "British" in some records.

Britain is the name of the island.
Britania is the ancient name for the island nation.
England is one of the countries there.
The United Kingdom consists of the constituent countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The Commonwealth or Commonwealth of Nations, formerly the British Commonwealth consists of those nations who recognize the Queen of Enland, Elizabeth Windsor as their monarch, and as of this writing consists of 54 member nations.

Have fun!