When it comes to genealogy videos, a single word can make a world of difference. A single word can be like the direction of a compass, or the combination of a safe. The right word and the right combination of circumstances can start a journey, unlock a world. Because like all genealogy, the genealogy video is a search and a search whose goal is often obscured.

So what do we mean by “one word can unlock a world”?

Take a simple example. Let’s say you’re researching her grandmother for a genealogy video she has in mind. Let’s say you find out Grandma’s maiden name. That will help you trace a bunch of ancestors through, say, old census records. You can reveal even more. Take the Italian name “Fortunato”: the word means lucky. It was very common for the Catholic clergy to give that name to orphans. If a name like that comes up in your searches, chances are you have an orphan. Unfortunately, it probably means you can’t go back any further.

A word can be a place on a map. Can you find out the town where your ancestors came from? Getting to know the town can help you discover customs and traditions; history; birth, death and marriage certificates; and maybe even distant cousins. It’s a big plus to include footage of the old family town, and perhaps some relatives who still live there, in your genealogy video.

During your research for your genealogy video, you may discover a cause of death. With all the recent discoveries in genetic medicine, the condition that caused the death of an ancestor could make a major difference in a person’s medical diagnosis or even treatment. A word about the cause of death could also link a person to a specific time and place: the Spanish flu in 1919? An industrial accident perhaps? More than one death was linked to dust inhalation during the Great Depression.

A single word, the answer to a simple question, can also help uncover a personality you may be featuring as part of your genealogy video. What about your favorite song? Knowing the answer could reveal the lighter side of the subject and help place him in the culture of his time. Maybe you can find it and download it! Sometimes a particular song can help define a person: Paul Anka’s song “My Way” speaks to more than one person who forged their own path in life.

That word could also be a number. Let’s say a word is the number of children born to a grandmother. Children mean cousins. And cousins ​​can be your best friends when it comes to your genealogy video. If you’re wondering where all the family photos went, chances are they’re with one of your cousins. And if you’re really lucky, one of your cousins ​​will turn out to be a genealogist with a ton of information you can use in your genealogy video.

Another advantage provided by a single word is the name of a passenger ship. Ocean liners have records, passenger lists, ports of embarkation and destination, even personal information about passengers. From the ship lists, you can find out if your ancestors were literate, what village they came from, how much money they had in their pocket when they embarked, who they were staying with when they arrived, and who they traveled with.

In the military context, that golden word can be a service number. Military people around the world often keep wonderful records (if you ignore the terrible fire in our National Archives in 1973 that destroyed some 20 million personal records, especially Army personnel discharged between 1912 and 1960). So if your genealogy video will include personal service, one word can open the government vault.