Trace Family Tree

I’ve found that the older I get,the more important my ancestry becomes I have a strong desire to find my ancestors. I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m just curious as to whether there was nobility in my family. Perhaps I just want to know if there are any skeletons in the closet.

Whatever my reasons, I do find tracing my ancestry fascinating. It’s really interesting to learn about the people in your family tree and how they lived, what they did, who they knew. But I’ve also learned along the way that most people haven’t a clue what resources are available to them beyond the obvious things like interviewing family, checking birth certificates, newspapers, etc.

So here I’ve listed a number of resources you should take advantage of if you’re really serious about finding out “where you came from.” It has helped me in my quest to find my ancestors.

1. The obvious, is interviewing family members; not only mom and dad, but aunts, uncles, distant cousins. Start by drawing a quick family tree going back just two generations and start making calls or sending mail or emails. Here are some of the basic things you’ll want to know:
Complete names (married and maiden names)
Addresses throughout their live
Birth records
Military service (when and where)
Marriage records (even attendants, if possible)
Property records (state and county)
Burial records (where)
Old pictures, especially if they have names and dates

2. Family Bibles. While this isn’t a common practice these days, in the past, families kept their Bible forever, often keeping record of family members, births, marriages, and deaths on pages within their Bible.

3. Old family letters. Once again, with technology, we’ve all but lost the art of letter writing it’s been replaced with email. But older generations tended to preserve letters that were important to them. These letters can be of great value in tracing your family tree. They may contain important dates, facts, and places that will be of help. Check return addresses and postmarks for more information.

4. Legal documents are a great resource of information. These documents include deeds with property addresses, wills stating names of relatives you may not have known about, marriage licenses be sure to check the witnesses, birth certificates, voter registration, adoption records, and even judgments. Your search for these documents should begin with state and county records.

5. Look for associations your ancestors may have belonged to. These would include churches, clubs, veterans groups and lodges, all of which may be able to provide background information in your search to find my ancestors.

6. Census data is a must to help you fill in your family tree. After 1840 the Census collected age, place of birth, occupation, personal wealth, education, spouse, children, hired hands, and even immigration information. Copies of the original decennial census forms from 1790 through 1930 are available on microfilm for research at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC, http://www.archives.gov/, at Archives regional centers, and at select Federal depository libraries throughout the United States.

7. Naturalization’s records. For Pre-1906 Naturalization’s: You’ll need to contact the State Archives for the state where the naturalization occurred to request a search of state, county, and local courts records.

Contact the NARA regional facility that serves the state where naturalization occurred to request a search of Federal court records.

For Naturalization’s After 1906: After 1906, the courts forwarded copies of naturalization’s to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Naturalization from Federal Courts are held in the NARA’s regional facilities for the Federal courts for their area. Go to: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/naturalization/

8. Grave sites. Headstones will give dates and possible family names.

9. Libraries. Here you’ll find newspaper articles, look for obituaries, birth and marriage announcements and books on local history. Most libraries can be found online. You’ll also find genealogy information in several libraries, the Allen County Public Library in Indiana has the second largest genealogical collection in the US. Another good source is Mormon genealogy, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT.

10. Genealogy message boards. Google “genealogy message boards” and join in, you’ll find a wealth of information here!

11. Military records. You’ll find several sources online, including NARA http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/.

12. High school and college yearbooks. These sources can help locate a relative or provide other resources for your search. Some of these are online.

13. Family pedigrees. These are family groups already linked in a computer system. Accessing an individual’s family group sheet in a linked pedigree will also give you access to all of the records that are linked to that individual. Two great sources are Kindred Connections at http://www.kindredkonnections.com/index.html, and the Family History Library at http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHL/frameset_library.asp.

14. U.S. Immigration records. Two great sources are Ellis Island Records at http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/ and Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com

15. Social Security Death Index. This is a database of people whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration beginning about 1962. The best source is RootsWeb.com http://rootsweb.com.

These are the resources I use to help me find my ancestors I hope they help you too. It’ll be a fun and rewarding adventure.