Ancestry Search |
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Researching your ancestry and family history has become one of the most popular activities on the internet. People now have access to lots of search resources to help determine their ancestry, and below are a few ideas that can help with your project. 1. Start by Gathering All Known Information- Contact Your Relatives Let members of your family know that you are about to start a project to discover your ancestry or create a family tree. Ask if anyone has documents that might be helpful such as marriage or birth certificates, baptism records, etc. Spend some time talking to the oldest of your relatives, as they will no doubt have the most information about your ancestry. You can also ask if anyone else in the family is interested in participating with you on the project. If so you can make a plan and divide up the effort. 2. Subscribe to a Genealogy or Ancestry Search Website This will be an indispensible tool for your research. Make sure you
find a site that is comprehensive enough and will fill your needs. It
is usually good to find a site that has a free trial so that you can
check it out before paying any subscription fees. To get the most
comprehensive data you will probably have to subscribe to a site for a
month or two in order to complete your project, but many sites have
reasonable fees for the access you get to many different data bases.
Here is an excellent resource that fits the bill for thousands of
people: Find your Ancestors on OneGreatFamily
3. Use Various Resources to Research Your Family Ancestry Besides web sites like the one discussed above, there are other resources available in many areas. If you are in a location that has a satellite library of the The Family History Library, which is run by the Mormon Church, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you have many possibilities. This library has records for almost a billion people and lots of resources. Check around to see where the closest branch to your location is. If you are going on a trip to a different city that has one of these branches, you might plan on staying another day or two to take advantage of the library branch at that location. 4. Get The Family Involved in Your Ancestry Search and Family Tree Project As mentioned previously, you should start the project by getting as much information as you can from family members. Try to get others involved and divide up the work. You might even consider putting together a monthly family newsletter to keep everyone updated on how the research is going. This will not only strengthen your family ties, but it will build a sense of anticipation. If you can make the interest level high enough, you might even organize a family reunion and ask people to bring documents or stories that can be shared regarding the family ancestry. 5. Subscribe to a Genealogy or Family Ancestry Newsletter Many ancestry web sites have newsletters, and this can be a useful source for ideas and inspiration. You’ll learn how others have had success and you’ll no doubt learn more efficient and effective means of getting information. This can make your project move along faster and help you get more accurate information. 6. Verify Your Ancestry Search Findings From the Internet You can’t believe everything you find on the internet, or from other resources for that matter. Try to determine if original sources are cited, and if possible verify as many items as possible by checking the source. When you find inconsistent results you will no doubt have to use your imagination and intuition to determine how much of the information you have is correct. And finally, don’t forget to back up all the information you gather on your computer. Putting in many hours of work to research your family ancestry is worth making sure the work is not lost. Purchase a SanDisk USB memory device and back up your information often. These can be found at any computer store and are not expensive. Have fun with your genealogy and family ancestry project!
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