How to Find an Ancestor
Tracing family history is an exciting puzzle, especially when trying to locate a specific person. People look for ancestors for reasons such as discovering cultural heritage or making connections with famous historical figures. Immigration, war and variations on name-spelling sometimes wreaked havoc on personal records. Thanks to libraries, social networking and other resources, finding out about a specific ancestor may be possible.
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Instructions
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Offline Searches
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Start by writing down everything you know about the ancestor you are trying to find. Include details such as how you heard about this person, approximately when you thought he lived and where he might have lived.
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Interview family members to see what stories they can recall about this particular ancestor. Keep records of all the information, even if it conflicts with your own notes.
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Travel to the location where your ancestor might have lived. Ask the locals for stories that might have passed down through the generations regarding her.
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Browse through libraries and archives for information on the person you are trying to locate. You might find information in newsletters, newspapers, microfilms and microfiche in places such as family history centers, state archives, county archives, historical societies and local libraries.
Online Searches
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Use online resources or computer software to track genealogical data and organize notes. Begin with trial versions of software to see which best suits your particular needs.
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Create a family group on a social networking site and invite all your relatives to join. Encourage them to add other relatives you might not know.
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Set up a section on the social networking site for family history, photos and news. Post a question asking all the relatives for information on the ancestor you are trying to locate.
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Search for your ancestor's name on an Internet site dedicated to genealogy searches such as www.Free-Genealogy-Search.com. These sites offer information on birth, death and marriage records and records of occupation, when available.
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Browse through websites that offer completed family trees such as Ancestry World Tree. This type of site assists you in finding a person by name, year range or location of birth, marriage or death.
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