Researching My Personal Family History

I had heard of many people who decided to research the family history. I had always wondered where we came from and where I fit in amongst the history of my ancestors. I decided that I would search more about our family. I really wanted to have this information to share it with my children.

One of the first things I did was use my family resources. Armed with a tape recorder, pen and paper and a list of questions, I sought out elderly family members. Grandparents, great aunts and uncles were my first line of research. Through them I was able to get the names of relatives, cities where we came from and bits and pieces of history that I could use to find more. They lent me photos to make copies of and newspaper clippings.

The next thing I did was turn to the Internet. I researched websites that offered advice on how to research your ancestors. I learned by reading other people's stories and gained much inspiration this way. The stories and facts that people gained from researching their family history inspired me to go on with my journey.

Armed with those facts, I went to local library and then the city library. There I was able to find old records, newspaper articles and more information to fuel my journey. I found out the years my relatives immigrated to the United States, when they bought their homes and even found an article about my great grandfather in the war. He marched down Pennsylvania avenue for President Roosevelt - such a great story to read about!

I didn't have the time or the money to do a very elaborate search for my family history - but with the little bit of research I did, I gained so much. It was special to sit down and hear the stories from my relatives. Using their data, I was able to find more at the library - without the first hand knowledge of my relatives; I don't think I would have been able to do that.

I created a family history scrapbook combining the hand written notes I took, the photographs, the records and articles I found at the library. It is a beautiful book that helps me understand where I fit in into our big family picture. I look forward to the day when my children are older and I can share it with them. I even left additional blank pages in case they want to continue to journal our families' history and our future.