Experience of a Professional Researcher

Dr. Branka Lapajne

Why do we do genealogical research? For most it is a desire to try and find out more about where we came from and what makes up our genetic makeup. While genealogy helps us to identify who our ancestors were, for the most part it only provides us with dates. Dates of birth, marriage and death, attached to the names of those who came before us.

For the last 100 years or so we have at out disposal more information about the kind of people our grandparents or possibly great-grandparents were. Letters, diaries, photos and even personal acquaintance with some of these individuals gives us a better picture of who they were and what they were like. But what can we do to add to the sparse data we have for our great-grandparents or their grandparents?

My talk will deal with information provided in official church records, as well as records which exist in other archives, records which may help those fortunate enough to have ancestors who came from areas for which such documentation still exists.