How to Find Your Ancestors & the Countries They Came From
If you've ever wondered where your parents, grandparents and other ancestors came from, you can use census information, church records and world immigration records to build your family tree. Be prepared to deal with a huge volume of information---organization is the key to success. Start a file for each person you're researching and always document where you found each new piece of information. Be aware that dates and name spellings might not always match exactly; it's important to chart out an ancestor's life journey so you can identify false leads and follow true ones.
Instructions
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Gather all the information you can about your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from current family members. Ask for full names (including maiden names for women), birth dates, death dates, and places lived.
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Use a public genealogy database to search for the parents and siblings of your last known ancestor. For example, FamilySearch.org lets you search birth, marriage, death, and census records all in one place, using minimal information. You'll need the ancestor's first and last name, along with the date of a life event (birth, marriage or death).
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Obtain vital records at the state or county level for ancestors with missing birth, marriage or death dates. Once you know where a person was born or died, you can contact the vital records office of that state or county to try and get a copy of official documents to help you fill in the blanks. There is usually a fee involved, and if the record is relatively recent (within the last 50 or 75 years), the state may require proof that you're related to the person you're asking about. The farther back in time you get, however, the more information is available for free.
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Visit SearchforAncestors.com and click "Records Search" then "Census Records Search." This free database lets you search all United States census results for the years 1790-1930. Trace your ancestors' paths back to their last known residence in the United States.
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Track immigrants to the U.S. through websites cataloging major ports of entry. For example, EllisIsland.org contains information about all passengers who entered through New York from 1892-1924. CastleGarden.org contains information on 11 million immigrants from 1820-1892.
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Use Cyndi's List to find websites offering specific genealogical information for the country your ancestors came from. One of the most popular and useful genealogical sites online, this list contains more than 270,000 helpful research links. Click "Beginners" for a list of essays, tips and tutorials for amateur genealogists.
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Tips & Warnings
Many genealogy sites that charge for access have a one- or two-week free trial period. Sign up for one of these when you have a handful of dead ends you can't source anywhere else, and try to gather all the information you need during the free period. Read terms carefully, and be sure to cancel before your free period expires to avoid charges.
Don't automatically trust the information in family trees you find online. Common genealogy mistakes of sloppy amateur researchers include linking a mother to a child when her death date precedes the child's birth date, mistaking a stepmother or stepfather for a child's birth parent, linking a child to parents with a birth date well past the mother's childbearing years, and mistaking a "Jr." for a "Sr." and confusing their spouses and children. Always take the time to double-check new information.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit family tree image by Judy Ben Joud from Fotolia.com
