Who Are You?

Family is so important in today’s society. Discovering information about your ancestors before you can give some valuable information to your genealogy studies. So where does one begin? The easiest way to begin is to start with you and your parents and a family tree. The gaps left will be the questions one will need to investigate with other relatives. It is similar to detective work, to find all the missing pieces. The most important information is name, birthplace and date, and places and date of death.

The family tree begins with you. It is like an upside down pyramid, one of you, two of your parents, four of your grandparents, and eight of your great grandparents, and so on. It is as if you are looking back to go forward with your family roots. Ask yourself a series of questions regarding your ancestry and this will launch you on your road to discovery. While some of these answers may be difficult to answer, your research will help you as you begin to solve the pieces to the puzzle.

The internet is another vital source to research. One can use the internet to search general search engines, directories, and transcribed records. The internet is a publishing avenue for anyone who has access to a computer. Some of the important documents that are useful in your family history include: birth certificates, death certificates, census records, marriage certificates, newspapers, and wills. Although, these are just a few of the available documents that can help in determining whom you are. These are the easiest documents to gain access to, but you may want to search for preserved letters or journals written by ancestors. Any type of personal writing available from your ancestors will immensely valuable in determining family history.