How to Trace Back Ancestry
Ancestry is the lineage of a person or family. Genealogy involves keeping an account of ancestry. Genealogy is important for several reasons, including gaining a better understanding of a family tree as well as discovering genetic conditions for health purposes. It can be difficult and overwhelming for new genealogists to know how to get started with their ancestry research; however, there are some relatively simple steps that can, and should, be taken when tracing ancestry.
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Instructions
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Write down everything that is already known about the ancestry being traced. This includes the full names (maiden names for women), as well as dates and locations of births, marriages and deaths of known family members. Information can be obtained through personal knowledge, documents, family heirlooms, or by interviewing living relatives. When interviewing living relatives, it may be beneficial to record the conversations. As this list of known family members is being created, also make notes about where the information came from.
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Search for ancestors on Internet sites, such as FamilySearch, RootsWeb and Ancestry.com (see resource section below). Some genealogy websites allow users to access their databases for free, while others require a subscription fee. New genealogists may want to begin with the free sites, and then move on to a paid subscription site later.
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Search for ancestors in offline repositories, such as state and town archives, courthouses and libraries. Each type of repository will house different types of records. State and town archives will provide access to vital records, often dating back to the founding of the state or town. Probate and land records can be found in courthouses, while town histories, obituaries and sometimes published genealogies are located in libraries. Genealogical information can also be found on cemetery tombstones.
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Order ancestral records from locations to which traveling is too far. Information that will need to be included in requests for records are the full name (maiden name for women) of the ancestor, as well as the date and location of the event the document is recording (birth, marriage or death). A fee will likely be required to obtain the record. Some repositories have request forms and fee information located on their websites, so it is wise to do a search for the particular repository prior to submitting a request.
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References
Resources
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