How to Research Family Heritage

Learning about your heritage can lead to exciting ancestral discoveries.

Researching your family tree or heritage provides insight into why you are the person you are. The sum of your ancestors and their backgrounds helped to shape the family into which you were born. Learning about family traditions, hearing stories, locating records and photographs help you tell your family story. Through research you are able to preserve your family's heritage to pass to future generations. Getting started begins at home.

Instructions

1. Search your home for home sources. These home sources include legal records, land records, identification such as birth certificates, passports and driver's licenses, family Bibles, military records, school records, and photographs. Download and print a checklist to identify over 50 home sources. See Resources for information on this list.

2. Download and print an ancestral chart and family group sheet. These sheets are crucial to researching and recording your family heritage. Begin by filling in the ancestral chart which is the family tree. Start by writing your name and information in the space farthest to the left. Then add your parents names and information by moving to the right. Your father will be added up and to the right of you, and your mother will be added down and to the right. Continue adding grandparents and great grandparents names and information always with the male on top and the female below.

   Complete a family group sheet for each family. List the parents on the top of the form and all children on the bottom. Fill in as much information for each family as you can.

3. Download and print a correspondence sheet. Write letters to extended family members requesting information about your family. Ask them to not only provide names, dates and places but also family stories, legends and traditions. All of these make up your family's heritage.

4. Search for old photographs. Ask family members to help identify the individuals which should include a date or approximate date and location of the photograph. Photographs provide many clues to a family's heritage from the way the family dressed, how they lived and their religious affiliation.

5. Write your family's story after you gather information. Include photographs with your story. Share the story with family members so everyone can share in the discoveries of your family's heritage.

References

• Genealogical Journeys: Genealogy Tips and Guidelines for Beginners of Family Trees
• Comport One: 26 Tips to Genealogy

Resources

• BYU: Ancestors Family and Home Information Sources Checklist
• Ancestry.com: Family Group Sheet
• Ancestry.com: Ancestral Chart
• Ancestry.com: Correspondence Record