How to Research a Family Tree Through Historical Records

Vital records of birth, marriage, divorce and death are the most important historical documents in family tree research. These records of life-changing events build the framework for your search for other records, such as federal census records, tax records, military records, naturalization papers, church records, cemeteries and city directories. All these records can help give a well-rounded picture of your family tree.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Ask older relatives if you can see written records of family history they might have, such as family Bibles, letters or diaries.

2. Look through scrapbooks, keepsake boxes and old files for documents.

3. Order death certificates from the Bureau of Vital Records in the state in which the ancestor lived. Searching for the death, the last vital event in a person's life, gives clues to earlier events and makes your search more efficient.

4. Go to the county courthouse or local library in the area in which the ancestor lived to find records and information about the family.

5. Visit cemeteries where family members are buried to verify dates and name spellings and to find nearby graves of other ancestors.

6. Find the tax records for the family. Every property owner in most areas is listed on tax rolls, so if you can't find your ancestors anywhere else, you often can find them in the tax records.

Tips & Warnings

• Make two copies of every historical document you find in case one gets misplaced.
• File papers for each sub-branch of the family separately and label the file with the name of the head of the household. Keep documents on that person, her spouse and her children in one file.
• When looking for historical records, look under various spellings of family names. For example, the surname Engle can also be spelled Engell, Ingle or Ingel but all refer to the same family.
• Several websites offer access to vital records, usually for a fee. If you can't find the records elsewhere, order them.
• Military records are found in the national archives of the country the person fought for in wartime.
• Naturalization records from county courts may still be at the county court, or in a county or state archive or at a regional archive. Some of these records or indexes have been published.
• Use the Soundex system, a phonetic way of finding surnames, to help you research names in the 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920 U.S. censuses. Use an online form to get the Soundex code for the name you need.
• Record the date, surname you are researching, source of the research, and location of the research if you used a library or other archives on an Excel spreadsheet or similar form.
• Don't assume information is true just because it is published. If family records differ from published material about the family, the family records should trump the published material.
• Don't rely too heavily on census records because they may be inaccurate.

Resources

• A site where you can order U.S. vital records for a fee.
• A site that lists vital records resources overseas.
• Soundex converter form