Geneology Made Simple: Delving Deeper into Your Roots
Researching Your Ancestry
Continuing the Search
Discovering our ancestors is exciting and awe-inspiring. We never know if we will find someone famous or a historical icon. Our desire to learn about our family roots is what spurns us along the path of research. If you have already followed the tips from my previous article (see link below), you are ready to continue this wondrous journey into your family history.
Searching for Answers
After you have completed your search of known facts from you and living family members, including, including pictures and documents, it is time to continue your quest through outside sources. These sources may be books, public records, internet searches, etc. Some information may be found without a fee, while other facts may have a price connected to them. Let's look at some of these sources:
1. Many geneology books are available at libraries and bookstores. Some books may cover specific heritage backgrounds, such as family crests. If you know where your ancestors inhabited, you may find some answers that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
2. Public records provide a wealth of information about people. If you know where your ancestors lived or died, you can find specific addresses, obituaries, wedding announcements, birth announcements, property deeds, and many other documents that are free for the public to view. There may be a small fee if you want to make a copy of a document for your records, but this is vital for verification. There is a huge amount of data waiting to be discovered in public records.
3. The most valuable (and most likely the easiest) way to find more information on your ancestors is via the internet. Many websites are available to research your ancestry. Some of these sites require you to pay a fee to access data, but some of them offer free links to search. Some allow you to put your ancestry information in their family tree section for free, which often generates familial hints that you may research on their site if you decide to join.
4. Many libraries offer ways to enhance your geneology search for free. Some offer free seminars on geneology where you learn from someone who has been researching ancestry for years. These experts help you find places to search that you may not have considered. Also, many libraries have paired with Ancestry. com to allow their patrons to access ancestry documents for free. Ask your local librarian about seminars and computer access available for ancestry research. This source may yield an abundance of information without costing you a penny.
Examples of Ancestry Records
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeResearch Rewards
Tracing your family roots is a process that takes months or years to accomplish. That is why the outcome is so rewarding. You will have documents with your ancestors names on them. You may find pictures of family members that you did not know existed. You might discover that one or more of your ancestors worked in the same occupation that you do. You may also find relatives that are still living in the country from which your family came. Each new discovery adds another piece to your ancestry puzzle. What greater reward is there than to be able to pass this information down for future generations.
Researching Public Records
- USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal
USA.gov: Home page of the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal for all government transactions, services, and information. It provides direct online access to federal, state, local, and tribal governments. - Public Records for Genealogy Research
Online public records such as census, cemetery, land, birth, death, and marriage records to search for your ancestors. Includes information about obtaining copies of public records for your genealogy research.