How to Begin Tracing Your Family's History
Tracing your family history can illuminate the mysteries of your family's past and enhance your self identity. People are drawn to genealogy for a variety of reasons, including the desire to create a family tree, collect family histories or locate family branches to establish their genetic makeup. For those new to genealogy, it helps to have a goal in mind of what you wish to accomplish by tracing your family history. Delving into family history begins with yourself, and in time, branches out to encompass relatives and public resources. With patience and determination, you can learn how to uncover your ancestral past.
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Things You'll Need
- Pedigree charts
- Family group sheets
- Pencil
- Family documents
- Folders or family history computer program
- Paper
- Tape recorder
Instructions
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Gather blank family pedigree charts and family group sheets. These forms chart descendent lines and family relationships. The ProGenealogists website offers free family history forms to download and print.
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Fill in with a pencil your blank family group sheets and pedigree charts to the best of your knowledge. Write the full names and birth, marriage and death dates of family members.
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Collect and study family documents in your possession or in the possession of family members. Family documents include birth certificates, school records, marriage licenses, divorce papers, newspaper clippings, wills, death certificates, military records, religious records, family bibles, diaries, photographs or heirlooms.
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Organize the information as soon as you begin collecting family data. Some people prefer organizing their data into labeled folders or in a family history computer program.
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Prepare a list of questions to ask relatives about your family history. For example, if you are seeking a detailed family history, write down questions on paper that explore a relative's childhood, school and work experiences.
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Talk to relatives in person or over the phone and ask them the questions that you wrote down. Take notes with a pencil and paper or use a tape recorder to record the conversations with family members.
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Visit a local Family History Center to view their collection of vital records. Family History Centers are affiliates of the the larger Family History Library located in Salt Lake City. Look on the FamilySearch website to search for a center near you, or to browse online vital records.
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Search for your ancestors in federal government records. The National Archives and Records Administration has a listing on their website of National Archives state branches that you can visit. These branches have microfilmed copies of federal census, land, military, immigration, naturalization and social security records.
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Explore online genealogical sites, such as Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com is a paid membership site that is the world's largest online source for family history information.
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Tips & Warnings
Research more than one family line at once. If you hit a roadblock on one family line, spend time researching the history of other family members.
Record in a notebook or a research log the sources of the information that you gather, such as the author or the person that you interview. Citing your sources will help you remember where you found your information.
References
Resources
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