A Free Resource for Tracing Your Family Tree

Whether you want to trace your family history just for fun or some other reason, there are many resources out there to help. My favorite place to search is Family Search.org. There is an excellent help feature though I rarely need it.

FamilySearch.org

I have had excellent luck on Family Search.org. It is a good place for a beginner to start. This website is sponsored by the LDS Church. It is the largest database in the world. There is no fee or registration required to search this database. You don't have to be a member of the LDS church to use this website (or the family history library.) This site only lists people who are deceased. Records and personal information of people who are still living are not available.

County birth and death records can be a good source of information if these web sites do not provide the information you are looking for. Check with the specific county with regard to whether or not there are fees and what the fees are. Fees vary.

Along the same lines of government records, adoption, marriage, and divorce records can provide information as well. Libraries can often be a good place to start looking for government records. Typically a library will not charge a fee.

Census records can sometimes give you a place to start looking. If you can find your ancestor's name on the census records, you will know where to start looking for other records. Once you start searching, you will find names of that person's parents, children, spouse, and so on. One piece of information leads to the next. Land records can give you an idea of where these ancestors lived and when they sold land and moved elsewhere.

Start with what you know. Start with a grandparent's name and go from there. You will be surprised how far back you can go in a short time.

Searching for your ancestors can be an addictive hobby. Once you start, it's hard to stop. I have spent hours on the Family Search website looking to see how far back the records would go. Then I will go back to where I started and follow a different line.

Once you have the names, a fun thing to do with them is to do a search online or check the library to find any additional information. It's fun to track down these names and put stories with the names. Who were they? What did the like to do? How did they earn a living? You can't always find this information. When you do find it though, it leaves you feeling connected with the past. You know where you came from. Give it a try, what have you got to lose?