Tracing Your Ancestry
Posted by: Eureka Tree
Who am I?
This question is one that has been asked by everyone at least one time in their life. In order to obtain the answer to a lot of life’s questions you need to know the answer to this one first. Knowing who you are means knowing who your ancestors are. To know this information will eventually lead you to researching your genealogy.
What is Genealogy?
To put it simply, genealogy is the study of your ancestors. There are many terms used to describe genealogy research. These terms include:
• Family History
• Tracing your Ancestry
• Building a family tree
There are others that you will come across during your research. It really don’t matter what you call it. It is all the same thing in the end.
How to Start?
There are many of you out there reading this and want to know how to start researching your ancestors. You think that it is going to be hard and nearly impossible to find information because all these people are dead. Well this maybe true, it is very easy to start gathering information. Start with you. Write down your name, your parent’s names and their parent’s name. See, you have 3 generations done, and you knew all the information that was needed so far. Now that you got that done, start thinking of dates (birth, death, marriage, etc) associated with each person. This step is where it starts to get a little difficult and may require help of others.
Relatives are a great source of information. Start with your parents. If you happen to be lucky enough to still have grandparents alive pay them a visit and ask every question that you can think of. Their stories and information will be lost forever if they don’t get to share it. They of course know their marriage information. If these relatives have already passed on then don’t stop. Check with aunts, uncles, cousins or even friends. Friends who grew up with your dad or mom can answer a lot of questions as to who they met and any exciting and interesting stories from their childhood.
Of course do not forget to include the internet into your research. There is a countless number of sites that offer genealogy service to you. Some of these sites are free and others charge a fee for their recorders. If you have reached a road block in your research these sites might be the answer, or if your budget allows hire a professional genealogist.
You now know the basic getting started with genealogy steps. It is time to head out and start asking and researching. Leave no stone unturned. You never know where your next ancestor will show up. The government has kept records for years; they are a good source of information. Other good places to look include the family bible, filing cabinets, picture albums, and memories. Researching your genealogy will also add some satisfaction and quality to your life. Enjoy the time spent researching.
