LEARNING page 7

Seven Simple Steps
To Tracing Your Roots

1. What facts do you know?

List everything you know about your family.
Start with yourself and your siblings, and then
keep going back, generation by generation, to
your parents and their siblings, your grand-
parents and their siblings.

What information should
you collect?

• Styles "Snug" and "Freestyle" shown
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•Molded thermal rubber bottom

When and where were
they born?

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANIEL MIZUGUCHI

Orchard Mall
Orchard Lake Rd., N. of Maple
W. Bloomfield • 851-5566

"Serving the community for 40 years"

Spotlight oil:

Orthodontics

Presented by Nelson (Nick) Hersh, D.D.S., M.S.

licensed Specialist

WORDS OF WISDOM

When there is sufficient
space in the mouth to accom-
modate the wisdom teeth,
which do not appear until the
late teens or
early twenties,
they can grow
in normally to
become fully
functional mo-
lars. On the
other hand,
Di: Hersh
wisdom teeth
are candidates for extraction
when they are impacted or
trapped in the bone under the
gums in a crowded jaw. If they
are not removed, they may tend
to grow sideways to find space
and move adjacent molars out
of place in the process. Partial-
ly erupted wisdom teeth also
pose a danger because they
leave an opening at the gum-
line that invites bacteria to en-
ter and cause infection. When
extraction of the wisdom teeth
is indicated, the surgery can be
performed at any age. It is best,
however, to extract impacted
wisdom teeth when the patient

is young, before the jawbone
that supports the teeth hard-
ens and the tooth roots develop
fully.
Orthodontics is a special kind
of dentistry that involves the di-
agnosis, prevention, and treat-
ment of dental and facial
irregularities. The practice of
orthodontics involves the de-
sign, application, and control of
corrective appliances (com-
monly called braces) to treat
and correct these problems. In
general, tooth position can be
improved at practically any age
because the tissues involved in
the movement of teeth are the
same in both children and
adults. To schedule a consulta-
tion, call our office at 360-7700,
or see us at 8362 Richardson.
P.S. After impacted wisdom
teeth are extracted, recupera-
tion only takes three or four
days.

Paid for and brought to you as a public service by Dr. Hersh

When and where did they get married?
When did they die, and where are they buried?
What type of work did they do?
When and from where did your ancestors im-
migrate to America?
Where did your ancestors settle when they
arrived in America?
What language did they speak?
What are some of your fami-
ly's stories?

2. What do other family
members know?

After writing what you
know, send each individual or
family a summary. Ask each
person to check the informa-
tion for accuracy and to add as
many facts as possible. Ask
which relatives might be candi-
dates to interview about the fam-
ily history.

3. Interview your relatives.

Start with the oldest members. Don't miss
this opportunity to share your family's history
with your relatives.

In addition to the questions detailed
above, what should you ask?

Where did the family live in Eu-
rope?
Did the family move?
Describe the journey to America.
First relative to come to America.
Why did relatives come to Ameri-
ca?
Who did you keep in contact with in
the Old Country?
Childhood memories?
Religious observances?
Family photos?
Passports?
Naturalization papers?
Birth certificates?

Old letters written by your ancestors?
Do you know anyone else with old family doc-
uments?

4. Dig for the records.

Now it's time to obtain copies of genealogical
records. Birth, marriage and death certificates
are the first documents to try to get.

Other records of interest:

Census records (1790-1920)
Passenger ship arrival lists
Naturalization
records
Probate records
Newspaper obit-
uaries
Cemetery
records
Tombstone in-
scriptions
Property
records
Records of 60
religious
events, fra-
ternal and 46
union
records
Court records

5. Set realistic goals.

Do you want to work on your mother's side of
the family or your father's side? Do you have a
timetable for a family reunion? Small goals will
help you to keep the excitement of your family
quest at a high level.

6. Share experiences
with others.

Join the Jewish Ge-
nealogical Society of
Michigan. For member-
ship information, contact
Marilyn R. Natchez, (810)
681-0805. Members are
experienced in specialized
areas, such as Holocaust
research. They have re-
sources to help you find
information about Euro-
pean shtetls. Often, oth-
er members are searching
the same last names or towns of your family
members.

7. Record your results and pass them
on to future generations.

There are several computer software
programs designed to
help you organize your
family's history. A fam-
ily tree and family
group sheets can aid in
summarizing your in-
formation without the
use of a computer. Au-
dio and video tapes
also provide unique
records of your inter-
views for future genera-
tions. ❑

