Getting Started
Researching your family history can be an overwhelming task, especially if you don't have much information about your ancestors.
Here are some tips to getting started. 1. Ask family members for help. Ask your parents if any of their relatives have researched the family history. 2. Interview living relatives. Ask for ancestors' names, birth dates, death dates, hometowns, and any other information they can remember. For a list of sample questions to ask in an interview, go to Asking Questions. 3. Search the Internet for names in your family tree. This could reveal birth records, newspaper articles, and other relevant information. 4. Visit cemeteries where relatives are buried. A lot of information can be found on gravestones. 5. Take notes. Keep track of who you talk to and what information they provide. This will help you when you need to search Ancestry. 6. Look for church records. Churches often have an archive of baptismal or christening certificates. If your family attended a synagogue, look for records on naming ceremonies, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and yahrzeits. 7. Look for school records. If your relatives attended college, check the college's archives for photographs and yearbooks. Click Next to learn about interviewing relatives. |