researching family trees
Researching Family Trees
Do you want to learn about your family history and ancestors? Do you want to know who your ancestors were and what they did? Well, finding out where you come from is a lifelong journey which begins with a person whose history you know very well – yourself!
Researching your family tree is not as difficult as you might think. It simply takes a bit of time and energy as well as determination. In order to create your family tree, you have to get the history of your family correct which means you will have to spend time studying about your family.
In this article you will learn the most basic methods for discovering the facts which make up your family history, starting with yourself and your immediate family members.
Word Of Mouth
Don’t worry! Discovering the history about your family on this very basic level is pretty easy. You know how to talk, right? So the first thing you need to do is talk to as many of your older relatives as you can.
[Note: you start with the oldest relatives first because you never know how long they will be around - and you surely do not want to lose their important stories which are a vital part of your family history - as well as clues to more family history facts.]Get the full names of your grandparents, great grandparents, and so on as far back in history as you can go (you will come to a point when someone does not remember the name of their grandparents, in which case you have to switch to another research method if you want to go further back in history).
Another thing that is important when you’re gathering this information is maiden names and children’s names. By learning the names of your ancestor’s children, you will be able to verify if the person you are looking up is the right person within your family.
[Tip: You will sometimes find documents from something like a census which will include the names of any children living within their households.]Try to also get as many dates or places where they may have lived as you can. Once you have done your best at researching your family history through word of mouth, you will then have to move on to other sources of information.
Documents and Photographs
Along with information that is spread by word of mouth, look for written documents and old photographs. Vital documents such as birth or death certificates are essential in researching your family history. Photographs are very helpful for a unique and unusual reason. Sometimes photographs will have a date or location written on the back of them. There may also be clues in the pictures themselves.
For example, you might find a picture of one of your ancestors arriving at Ellis Island with a date on the back that says 1912. Or you might find an old photograph that includes a headline from a newspaper. You now have a point of reference to go back to when trying to research or figure things out.
Documents and photographs are great reference tools for your family history research – do not ignore them – cherish them!
Harness The Power Of The Internet
Thanks to the internet there are almost limitless ways to search for your family history. Some people sign up on genealogy membership websites (some are free but, the really informative ones charge a small fee). With these sites you get access to many important documents that are very difficult to obtain any other way.
Genealogy sites offer access to census data from past years, as well as death, birth and marriage certificates, plus other public records such as military records or criminal records.
There are also many free genealogy databases you can take advantage of while researching ancestors. However, since these sites are free, they can get kind of tricky (or they limit the information you have access to).
Since you need to get accurate information in order to build an extensive family tree, your best bet is to go with a genealogy site that will cost a little now. But, the benefit you get will last for generations.
Enter your first name and email address in the box below, then click on “Get Instant Access”. You can begin your family history project right now!
