| Your family tree is of course interesting to you, | | | | fall into place when you begin to see what your |
| and offers you some insight into where you and | | | | ancestors might have been dealing with during |
| your family came from. It may offer you | | | | their lifetime or migration to another country. |
| information about your ancestors of course, but | | | | Understanding that Ireland during the time span |
| also where they lived, and what they did for a | | | | when your ancestors left was in the grip of a |
| living. More than this however, if you use your | | | | vast famine, and that many people were literally |
| imagination and historical information, you will get a | | | | starving to death will help you to understand |
| feel for what they lived through. | | | | better what was going on in their life. This little bit |
| That's where contexting in genealogy will come in. | | | | of knowledge will help you to know better where |
| What is contexting, as it relates to genealogy and | | | | to look for an ancestor who suddenly disappears |
| family tree research? It simply means knowing | | | | from your history or genealogy records. |
| what was going on in the general area of your | | | | You might try seeking out ships passenger lists or |
| family. Understanding the political climate and the | | | | obituaries or death notices for that area during |
| finances that were taking place during that time | | | | the time you're interested in. Putting the |
| span will help you to be a better researcher. | | | | information you have about what was happening |
| You may read in your history records that your | | | | in that area, what the families were living through |
| family came from Ireland, and that they | | | | and what kinds of things were taking place in the |
| emigrated from Ireland in the late part of the | | | | political arena will help you vastly. |
| 1800's. What can you infer from that information, | | | | Knowing what was going on in their life will give |
| and what might have happened to make them | | | | you valuable new insight about where to look |
| want to come to America or where ever else | | | | next in your search for your family tree. Your |
| they might have migrated to? | | | | research and family tree information will come |
| Researching your family tree makes contexting a | | | | more easily when you know why a given thing |
| necessity. It helps you to understand more about | | | | was happening. |
| your family, and to find information better, as well | | | | When you begin to get involved in a given |
| as to bring alive the family from the past. | | | | research, family tree information may or may not |
| Contexting will help you to understand not only | | | | come rapidly. If it doesn't, take a few hours to |
| who they are, but what they were and why they | | | | read about the events that were taking place in |
| were doing what they were doing at that given | | | | the area you are researching. Get familiar with |
| time. For example, contexting means taking what | | | | social problems or events taking place there. It will |
| you know and adding to it what you could | | | | give you an immense advantage in your |
| surmise about the time, the things taking place in | | | | genealogy research. |
| their area in that time span. Things will suddenly | | | | |