How to Look Up My Ancestors

There are many ways to look up your ancestors when embarking on a genealogical exploration. Traditional ways include researching church, marriage and birth records and death certificates. Joining genealogical societies, either locally or in the area your ancestors lived, can provide support and access to historical data and family history books. Heritage organizations, such as the Colonial Dames or Daughters of the Revolution are good resources for finding ancestors who lived during Colonial times. Solitary internet searches and visits to the library are other ways to look up ancestors.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Search for information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint's Family Search website. This is a free-to-use website with an extensive collection of genealogical data. Type in the name of an ancestor on the website's online form and click search. If your ancestor's data is included in their records it is possible to find census reports, ancestral files, death records, social security information and pedigree files.

2. Look for your ancestor's immigration records at the Ellis Island website. If your ancestor immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, you can use this site to try and find the passenger records for the trip. There you can view the ship's original manifest. The website is free to use, yet you will need to register.

3. Visit the local library and ask to be directed to the genealogical section. There you will find books on surnames and regions. Look for a book on your ancestor's surname and begin by searching through the index for clues. If you know the area your ancestor lived in, look for a book that features that region during the era your ancestor lived there. Search through the index for your ancestor's surname.

4. Search online for your ancestor's grave. There are over 30 million graves posted online. Go to the Find a Grave website and search for your ancestor's name. If you find your ancestor, there may be photographs of the headstone, along with death and burial information.

5. Search for your ancestor in old newspaper articles. You can search online at Newspaper Archives, which is the largest online newspaper database. It contains millions of newspaper pages from 1759 to current times. A membership fee is required. Simply type in your ancestor's name on the website's search form, and see if the name is found in any old newspaper article.

6. Join Ancestry.com to search for census, military, birth, death, marriage and other historical data. A membership fee is required, but they do offer a two-week free trial. You may also find your ancestor on the branch of another family tree posted on the website.

Resources

• Family Search
• Ellis Island
• Find a Grave
• Newspaper Archive
• Ancestry