Researching Your Genealogy

James Lingel

There are number of resources which can help you research your family tree. If you're lucky, one of the best resources is as close as your own family. Stories passed down from generation to generation contain nuggets of information that can help you begin your search. Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation Names of your parents and grandparents, and their parents, can take you back three or four generations. Don't ignore spouses of family relatives; not only do their personal stories add to the flavor of family history, sometimes the spouse of a family member - particularly the wife of a male relative - knows more about your family's history than the relative does.

Interview your family members to see what they know about family history. The older members in particular may have knowledge of your family tree for generations, as well as what Sparks Genealogy
These ancestors did for a living, where they lived, when and how they died, and personal stories they're more than willing to hand down to Society Genealogy Surnames V Vernon
Another generation. If you have birth or death certificates among family records, you're in luck; birth certificates will contain a birth date, name of parents, and location of birth. The place of birth in particular will give you a clue as to where to look for further information.

Searching public records has become a lot easier since the introduction of the Internet. Mcgrew Nebraska Genealogy A popular software program available online, Ancestry.com, allows you to build your family tree and search U.S. Census databases and other public records.

A lot of books are available to help you on your family search. One of the best is Genealogy 101: How to Trace Your Family's History and Heritage, by Barbara Renick in association with the National Genealogical Society (Rutledge Hill Press, 2003). Renick offers an organized approach to genealogical research that will save you a lot of false starts.

If you've been thinking for a while about beginning a serious search into your family's background, don't put it off. Your best resource, your older family members, is a finite resource. Once they pass on, their knowledge is gone forever.