Recently, we came across this image from our wedding album.
It's of my wife Gloria and myself pretending to cut our Styrofoam wedding cake. Do they still make those? We did have cake of course, but it was cut and packaged ahead of time.
Anyway I thought I would share this gem. The photograph on the home page of my website is from our 3oth wedding anniversary dinner in 2004.
We have not aged one bit...
Allan Scahill
Sunday, October 29, 2006
10 Tips To Start Your Family Tree
The following are my top 10 points to creating a family tree. Do your points differ?
This list also assumes that you have genealogy software, but if you do not, check out this free software from Family Search.
You will find the link at the bottom of their page.
These are my 10 points:
1. Always start with what you know. Begin with yourself. Here are sample Family Group Record Sheets.
2. Use birth, baptismal, marriage or other certificates to ensure correct dates and places.
3. Enter your immediate family's details, in the order in which they were born and their relationship to you. Again, using certificates, where possible.
4. Once you have your immediate family's details, you can branch out to the families of brothers, sisters, grandparents or the families of aunts and uncles.
5. Where possible double check your details and cross reference with the appropriate certificate.
6. Interview older members of your family to get the stories only they can tell. Once these family members have gone, there stories are gone with them.
7. Use some form of audio recorder and let them know you are recording the conversation, but be careful how you use it, some people do not like to be "taped".
8. Ask them questions like: What did you do for enjoyment when you were younger? Or, what they remember about their parents or other loved ones?
9. Make it an enjoyable two-way conversation, not an interrogation.
10. When entering data into your computer or log, ensure you note who or where you received the information from. You never know when you may have to return to that source to double check some detail, and believe me, you will forget where you received it from.
For more information on how to begin your own family tree, review this site:
Allan Scahill
This list also assumes that you have genealogy software, but if you do not, check out this free software from Family Search.
You will find the link at the bottom of their page.
These are my 10 points:
1. Always start with what you know. Begin with yourself. Here are sample Family Group Record Sheets.
2. Use birth, baptismal, marriage or other certificates to ensure correct dates and places.
3. Enter your immediate family's details, in the order in which they were born and their relationship to you. Again, using certificates, where possible.
4. Once you have your immediate family's details, you can branch out to the families of brothers, sisters, grandparents or the families of aunts and uncles.
5. Where possible double check your details and cross reference with the appropriate certificate.
6. Interview older members of your family to get the stories only they can tell. Once these family members have gone, there stories are gone with them.
7. Use some form of audio recorder and let them know you are recording the conversation, but be careful how you use it, some people do not like to be "taped".
8. Ask them questions like: What did you do for enjoyment when you were younger? Or, what they remember about their parents or other loved ones?
9. Make it an enjoyable two-way conversation, not an interrogation.
10. When entering data into your computer or log, ensure you note who or where you received the information from. You never know when you may have to return to that source to double check some detail, and believe me, you will forget where you received it from.
For more information on how to begin your own family tree, review this site:
Allan Scahill
Scahill Name - History And Origin
My grandfather, Austin Scahill, came from Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. My Scahill ancestors are mostly from this same area. I will go into more detail about Fahburren, an area of Westport, in a future post.
The Irish surname Scahill is an anglicized form of the Gaelic MacScaithghil. The prefix “mac” signifies “son of” and indicates the patronymic origin for the name, while the first name is probably derived from ”scaith geal”, meaning bright flower.
Variants of the Scahill name are:
Sahil, Scahail, Scahal, Scahaill, Scahall, Scaheil, Scaheill, Scahel, Scahhil, Scahhill, Scahil, Scarhill, Scarles, Schaill, Schahill, Seahil, Sehill, Seahill, Shahill, Skahell, Skahil, Skahill, Skaehil, Skaehill, Skehel, Skehill, Skilhill.
The MacScahill sect was located in east Galway and the name is now found there and in County Mayo in small numbers.
Excerpt from the book by *Dr. Edward MacLysaght "MORE IRISH FAMILIES" 1982:
"O'Dugan in his topographical poem, written about 1365, refers to Mac Sgaithghil (i.e. Mac Scahill) as "of beautiful studs" and as "over Corca Mogha" (i.e. Corcamoe which may be equated with the present parish of Kilkerrin in east Galway), but it is recorded elsewhere that they were dispossessed of this territory by the Concannons before 1170.
The prefix "O" (i.e. grandson of or descendant) was sometimes used with this name, but both prefixes have by now fallen into disuse.
In general, Gaelic prefixes, which date from the tenth century, tended to be discarded from the seventeenth century, a time of religious and cultural persecution and of renewed colonization by England, despite a revival of sorts in the late nineteenth century under the auspices of the Gaelic league, there are still, even today, a number of surnames where the prefix is rarely, if ever, seen.
To conclude, this surname has been equated, albeit wrongly, with Cahill from time to time so that it is possible that some Cahill's were originally Scahill's."
*Dr. Edward MacLysaght was once the Chief Herald of Ireland.
As a historian and author he wrote 15 books in both Irish and English and edited over 60.
He was acknowledged in his time as the foremost family historian in Ireland. His diversity has led him to be remembered for many different things and for being the Chief Herald of Ireland.
Allan Scahill
The Irish surname Scahill is an anglicized form of the Gaelic MacScaithghil. The prefix “mac” signifies “son of” and indicates the patronymic origin for the name, while the first name is probably derived from ”scaith geal”, meaning bright flower.
Variants of the Scahill name are:
Sahil, Scahail, Scahal, Scahaill, Scahall, Scaheil, Scaheill, Scahel, Scahhil, Scahhill, Scahil, Scarhill, Scarles, Schaill, Schahill, Seahil, Sehill, Seahill, Shahill, Skahell, Skahil, Skahill, Skaehil, Skaehill, Skehel, Skehill, Skilhill.
The MacScahill sect was located in east Galway and the name is now found there and in County Mayo in small numbers.
Excerpt from the book by *Dr. Edward MacLysaght "MORE IRISH FAMILIES" 1982:
"O'Dugan in his topographical poem, written about 1365, refers to Mac Sgaithghil (i.e. Mac Scahill) as "of beautiful studs" and as "over Corca Mogha" (i.e. Corcamoe which may be equated with the present parish of Kilkerrin in east Galway), but it is recorded elsewhere that they were dispossessed of this territory by the Concannons before 1170.
The prefix "O" (i.e. grandson of or descendant) was sometimes used with this name, but both prefixes have by now fallen into disuse.
In general, Gaelic prefixes, which date from the tenth century, tended to be discarded from the seventeenth century, a time of religious and cultural persecution and of renewed colonization by England, despite a revival of sorts in the late nineteenth century under the auspices of the Gaelic league, there are still, even today, a number of surnames where the prefix is rarely, if ever, seen.
To conclude, this surname has been equated, albeit wrongly, with Cahill from time to time so that it is possible that some Cahill's were originally Scahill's."
*Dr. Edward MacLysaght was once the Chief Herald of Ireland.
As a historian and author he wrote 15 books in both Irish and English and edited over 60.
He was acknowledged in his time as the foremost family historian in Ireland. His diversity has led him to be remembered for many different things and for being the Chief Herald of Ireland.
Allan Scahill
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
My very first blog entry. I hope someone reads it...
There is an old proverb that says: "Only the rich never have to seek out their relatives". As any genealogist will tell you, finding your ancestors and putting flesh on their bones is a long and never ending road. This blog is an attempt to connect with other genealogists "out there".
I hope YOU do...
Allan Scahill
I hope YOU do...
Allan Scahill
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