Anybody out there ever done any research on the hathcock family?

Question:

Anybody out there ever done any research on the hathcock family?

I have been trying to gather information of the hathcock family for school, but have been unable to produce any information on my side of the hathcock's. Does anybody know anything about the hathcocks from baxley, ga or the ones that migrated to Florida?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: If it is just for school, go to the SSDI (link below), click on "Advanced", pick a state, find some likely people and lie. Your teacher isn't going to double-check. Keep about 30 - 35 years, average, between generations. If you were born 1990, your parents were born within 15 years of 1960, usually, and theirs within 30 years of 1930.

I have been doing genealogy for 20 years. It would take me a month to six months, much of it waiting for obituaries and other records, to assemble a complete 5-generation family tree for a standard American - no Jewish ancestors whose grandparents and all records burned in WWII, no African Americans, who didn't even get surnames until 1865, no immigrants from China, Croatia, Hungary or some other places whose languages I don't speak, no adoptions, no fathers leaving one day and never coming back. Even then you'd have dead ends. Teachers asking their students to do a family tree in a week are ignorant of the work involved.

(My nephew got an assignment like that, though. I sent him a 165-page Word document. The teacher begged him to stop.)

If you are really interested, here is my stock answer.

===================
I hope you'll accept a general answer. These questions come up every day:

Where can I find my family tree for free?
Does anyone know the {Surname} family?
What are good sites for ancestors / genealogy?

They are all about tracing your family tree on the Internet. The fourth time I typed in my favorite beginner's links I realized I should save them in a text file and paste them in. This is long and general. Because it is general, not all the links will apply to every question or questioner.

These may help get you started. They are large and free.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welch or Pennsylvania Dutch or Oregon or any other region, ethnic group or surname, chances are she has links for it.)
http://www.familysearch.com
(Mormon's mega-site. Click on "Search")
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.c...
(460,000,000+ entries, of varying quality)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/defa...
Surname meanings and origins
http://www.tedpack.org/begingen.html...
My own site: "How to Begin"

United States only:
http://www.usgenweb.net/
(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)
(The Canadians have Canadian Gen Web, by province)
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-b...
(Social Security Death index - click on "Advanced" You may find your grandparents.)
http://find.person.superpages.com/...
(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)

United Kingdom Only:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/
(Biggest site for United Kingdom & Ireland)
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
(Free Birth, Marriage & Death Records)

(If you posted your question in Genealogy, ignore this paragraph. If you posted it in the "Family" category, read on.)
Tracing your family tree is called genealogy. YA has a category for genealogy,
Home > Arts & Humanities > Genealogy
There are hundreds of more links in the resolved answers there.

Notes:

You usually have to do some research. Sometimes you get lucky. Don't give up if your Great grandfather with your surname isn't there. Try all eight great-grandparents.

You won't find living people on any of the sites except the phone book one. You won't find many people born after 1920 on any of the sites except the SSDI one. Genealogists hide the birth dates, birth places and other facts of living people to protect their privacy. You will have to find your grandparents' or great grandparents' birth dates and maiden names somewhere besides the Internet.

The free sites are supported by advertising, just like TV. You can't watch the Super Bowl without seeing a beer commercial, and you can't surf for dead relatives without seeing an Ancestry advertisement. Many people complain about advertisements. Please don't. They bring you the "free" sites. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

If you get serious you'll need a genealogy program. They are to family research what "Word" is to writing a novel. I like Roots Magic. Family Tree Maker is the market leader. Both cost around $29. The Mormons will let you download PAF for free. It is clunky, but it is free. You can sometimes find old versions of FTM or Family Origins (FO is the predecessor of RM) in bargin bins at CostCo.