Social Networking for the Other Side

Social Networking for the Other Side by Jeremy “JD” Doughty
Social networking is a concept that is getting to be more and more a part of everyday interactions and virtual networking. They are adopted verbs of brand names making it possible to link information and people across the globe and in real time. This connection brings up an interesting question for those who consider themselves Spiritualists: is there a way to connect with friends and family members on the other side besides a medium? If so, how do I go about doing that? What is it even called? In a word, yes there is a way to connect with those on the other side.
This is made possible by the research of genealogy to locate those friends and family who have gone through the change called death. You are connected with them with records which have outlived them and popular television has even gotten in on it with “Who Do You Think You Are?”
When starting out to do this research you have two main avenues to choose from:
1. Have someone research your genealogy for you
2. Do the research yourself
For the do it yourselfer the library, website subscription, and visiting historical locations are among the best options to choose from.
Start at your local library or one on a populated area if you live in a rural location. Go with a focused question like “how do I get started” or “what is my maternal grandmother’s maiden name?” It is best to start by just focusing on one of your parents at a time if possible. Sometimes the search is a discovery to find out an intimate detail like who our parents are in the first place.
Genealogy has created tools to document your findings. A pedigree chart is backed up by records like birth certificates, marriage certificates, decennial census, death certificates, property records, and Ellis Island boat registrations. These are the “profile pages” of your friends or family members known as pedigree charts. Think of your pedigree chart as your family’s “friends list” or family tree.
Here are some tips for the clueless:
If you could do one thing make sure to budget your time because this research is highly addictive. The time will fly as discoveries are made.
Keep your paper records in a secure location. You might want to backup info electronically as well.
Keep a notebook for things like limitations and policies. For example, note what year the decennial census starts and years conducted on.
The toolbelt to make all of these connections possible contains these resources and sources. Without these you will be limited in your actual findings because chances are you are looking up historical documents to “social network” your family member’s information together.
Resources: pedigree chart, library, and county history records
Sources: microfilm, ancestry.com, surname directories
Benefits
Gain a clear awareness of the soul coming through for you as long as they are in the lineage
Immediate identification gives the logical mind some reassurance
Increase your discernment for mediums vs. mental magicians
More resources
“Land and Property Search in the United States”
“Unpuzzling Your Past: a Basic Genealogy Guide”
“Genealogy for the First Time: Research Your Family History”
“On-line Roots: How to Discover Your Family’s History and Heritage with the Power of the Internet”
“Your Guide to Cemetery Research”
Ancestry.com
Cyndlist.com
Geni.com
Ellisisland.org
Interview family members for info
Search newspaper or other similar databases
Use the information in this article as a starting point to accomplish family history research and understand that when a medium (or yourself) brings through a family member you can know who that is by name. Name recognition helps your logical mind ease your belief system that this stuff is real and not “airy fairy woo woo”. Armed with proof positive information you will be able to have connections showing the continuity of life as well as showing heaven is not a gated community.
Make sure and tell me what you think of this article at www.jdthespiritualist.com.