How to Locate My Genealogy
Locating your relatives can be overwhelming, especially if you don't have a lot of information to work with. Luckily, there are several online sources that can help you with your search, some free and others for a fee. There are also local resources you can contact that may have genealogy records available.
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Instructions
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Family Members & Information
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Gather any information and photos you have about your family members. It's best to start with what you have and go from there.
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Contact family members, especially those who are older, and ask if they have any information that may help you find who you are looking for. See if anyone has birth certificates, photos, files, records or contact information of the person. Combine your new findings with what you already have.
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Keep all your findings organized so you can combine what you have in an orderly fashion. Use what you already had and include new information you acquired from family members to see where you stand. This will make it easier to fill in the gaps and locate members of your genealogy.
Online Resources
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Use online resources such as Ancestry.com to research large databases of all types of historical records. Contact a professional genealogist through the site if you are having trouble. Average fees vary from $65 per hour in the United States, as of the date of publication. You can also learn how to research more efficiently and understand records more clearly on an online genealogy website's learning center.
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Search websites like Public Records and The Records Project that enable you to search, view and obtain public record as well as useful information to help you during your search.
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Go to the Golden West Marketing website, scroll down and click on "Directory of Libraries with Genealogical Collections in the U.S." to search for a genealogical library in your area.
Local, County and State Resources
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Contact the church, county or state courthouse where your family members lived or might have lived. These institutions should have marriage licenses and birth certificates on record. Records released at the courthouse are considered public information. Ask to meet with someone to help you located the person you are researching. In some cases, you might have to prove you are related and answer some questions before you obtain the information.
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Contact the person's state Office of Vital Records to search for a birth certificate. You can find one by going to the Vital Records website (vitalrec.com). These records include the name, place of birth and information on the parents which can be of great help during your search. You can also search the public records for more information but you might have to pay a small fee for the service. There might be some records that aren't available due to their dates. In this case, contact the archives department.
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Locate the historical society or genealogical society in the area and plan a meeting with one of the staff members. These places often have access to information such as birth and death records and can also help you find other family members both living and deceased.
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Contact the United States National Archives office or other genealogical libraries to access census, immigration, land, military and naturalization records. Go to the National Archives website (archives.gov) to find a location in your area or search the online records. Census records can be viewed after 70 years from the original date due to confidentiality and privacy laws.
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References
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