Searching Your Family Tree

I started searching my family tree years ago. Why? It began with simple curiosity, but after a little digging, it soon became an obsession. My mother had already given me a good starting point, with much of our family tree covered through three or four generations, though only names and dates. If you don't already have this info handy, it's probably best to jot down everything you know about your family, beginning with yourself and moving backward from your parents to grandparents and great grandparents. Once you have something to start with, the rest is not only easy but exciting, at least for those who love a good mystery and enjoy a little detective work.

Take everything you've written, and anything your family may have written, and being to document important dates (like birth, marriage, death). Take note of family occupations, military histories, medical histories, and even family "tales." All of these are important clues when searching your family tree. One important thing to note-not all family stories are true or exact. Years of retelling sometimes have a way of changing events, dates, etc. Be sure to get reliable sources to back them up.

Get information from other family members by interviewing them. Live too far away? That's ok. Write a letter or send an email. I prefer the old-fashioned snail mail approach, as not all people check email daily. Simply create a questionnaire that includes things like where they grew up, special childhood memories, information about their grandparents, when they got married, etc. Include a SASE for their convenience.

Other places to gather family information include libraries, especially those that offer genealogical histories; courthouses, which house a wealth of information such as land records and deeds, vital records and more; online resources and family history sites like Ancestry.com or HeritageQuest. While these require subscription membership, they are available through many libraries, which allow you to search free. Other free sources include FamilySearch.org and RootsWeb.com. Don't overlook online forums. I have found lots of good stuff here, including other family members researching the same tree.

Collect and document all sources of information. From census, church and military records to vital records, newspaper clippings and more, it is always a good idea to have these items documented. Get copies of the originals or use legitimate online sources. All of these can be acquired through family members, libraries, courthouses, and the like.

Once you have collected adequate amounts of information, you'll need a place to keep it. I have found it particularly useful to organize everything in 3-ring binders. I created one for my dad's side and another for my mom's side of the family. Within each, I keep pedigree charts, family group sheets and other records. For each individual (or branch), I place a sheet protector that holds all documented sources. This way I can easily flip through the binder and find whatever I need at a moments notice. I also keep a checklist handy for all persons noting what I have or what I need.

Searching your family tree can open doors to a whole new world. I have a greater appreciation for history today than I did years ago (I was often the one sleeping in history class). Searching your family tree can help answer questions about who you are and where you came from. You can become acquainted with your ancestors on a different level. They were real people, many overcoming real hardships that we can only just imagine. Not only does history become more interesting, but life becomes more tolerable.