Help, Limited Geneology knowlege?

Question

I want to do research to trace my roots, I've searched online on all search engines, just by looking up his name, but that alone didn't do diddley. So I guess what I'm asking is what are my best resources, I'm kindof a poor college student? Thanks.

Answer 1

I'll paste my stock answer below.

First, I'd advise you to download PAF instead of buying Roots Magic. I'd also advise you to set VERY strict limits on the time you spend. There have been times I've been hot on the trail of someone and spent three hours with a fast connection and a census subscription. I only noticed the time had flown when I got cramps from sitting in the same spot so long. It can get much more interesting than homework or household chores. You are probably at the busiest point in your life. You have classes, homework and may have part-time job. There are more social opportunities (hiking club, sailing club, bridge club, radio club . . .) than you'll have outside, and the chance to meet people of the opposite sex is better than it will ever be. So - don't let it become an obsession, yet.

Your college library may have data you can use, like census indexes or microfilmed newspapers from the county your ancestors were born, married or died in. Your county library may have a subscription to Heritage Quest, which has census images.

Here is the stock answer: These questions come up every day:

Where can I find my family tree for free?
Does anyone know the {Surname} family?
What are good sites for ancestors / genealogy?

They are all about tracing your family tree on the Internet. The fourth time I typed in my favorite beginner's links I realized I should save them in a text file and paste them in. This is long and general. Because it is general, not all the links will apply to every question or questioner.

These may help get you started. They are large and free.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welch or Pennsylvania Dutch or Oregon or any other region, ethnic group or surname, chances are she has links for it.)
http://www.familysearch.com
(Mormon's mega-site. Click on "Search")
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi
(460,000,000+ entries, of varying quality)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?ln=
Surname meanings and origins
http://www.tedpack.org/begingen.html
My own site: "How to Begin"

United States only:
http://www.usgenweb.net/
(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)
(The Canadians have Canadian Gen Web, by province)
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
(Social Security Death index - click on "Advanced" You may find your grandparents.)
http://find.person.superpages.com/
(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)


United Kingdom Only:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/
(Biggest site for United Kingdom & Ireland)
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
(Free Birth, Marriage & Death Records)

(If you posted your question in Genealogy, ignore this paragraph. If you posted it in the "Family" category, read on.)
Tracing your family tree is called genealogy. YA has a category for genealogy,
Home > Arts & Humanities > Genealogy
There are hundreds of more links in the resolved answers there.


Notes:

You usually have to do some research. Sometimes you get lucky. Don't give up if your Great grandfather with your surname isn't there. Try all eight great-grandparents.

You won't find living people on any of the sites except the phone book one. You won't find many people born after 1920 on any of the sites except the SSDI one. Genealogists hide the birth dates, birth places and other facts of living people to protect their privacy. You will have to find your grandparents' or great grandparents' birth dates and maiden names somewhere besides the Internet.

The free sites are supported by advertising, just like TV. You can't watch the Super Bowl without seeing a beer commercial, and you can't surf for dead relatives without seeing an Ancestry advertisement. Many people complain about advertisements. Please don't. They bring you the "free" sites. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

If you get serious you'll need a genealogy program. They are to family research what "Word" is to writing a novel. I like Roots Magic. Family Tree Maker is the market leader. Both cost around $29. The Mormons will let you download PAF for free. It is clunky, but it is free. You can sometimes find old versions of FTM or Family Origins (FO is the predecessor of RM) in bargin bins at CostCo.

Answer 2

Well, you might be starting in the wrong place. You don't really start with one ancestor. You should start with YOU. Then draw a chart with two lines up, one for each of your parents. Then draw two lines up from each of them for each of their parents, and so on and so on.

You can get some really good charts to work with. My first link below will give you some options in that regard.

If you're looking for a free resource on the web, try rootsweb (second link below.) Ancestry charges a lot, but sometimes you can get a few weeks for free just for joining, then cancel before you incur any charges.

Better yet, is to find a library in your area that specializes in genealogy. Talk to a reference librarian there. They will help you develop a strategy that will get your project rolling. Always remember, when you have a research project, it's best to start wtih your librarian rather than with the web if you want the best results. (They might indeed direct you to some web resources, but they'll have knowledge of which web resources will work best for you in whatever is your situation.)

Answer 3

Go to lds.org (this is the Latter Day Saints, AKA Mormon Church).
They have a humungous data base (they are still adding more daily to the internet data base) of geneology info.
When you get to the lds.org home page, scroll down, on the left edge of the page, click on "Family History". This will take you to the geneology search. Check all of the different categories when you get to a big long list. Good luck!
FYI--It's free!

Answer 4

Your best bet is to talk to living relatives, get names, dates, places... If you cannot physiclly go to these locations, try using your search engine and look for county courthouse records, hospital records, cemetary records, etc.. Chances are, you will have to pay some lowly clerk to do the digging and you'll have to pay for copies of whatever transcripts they may find. But really, half the fun is trudging about dank, basement archives looking at old ledgers. Best of luck!

Answer 5

I am not sure if it is God who limited our knowledge but rather our incapacity to have unlimited knowledge. And perhaps we were designed that way. Yes, human knowledge is finite. We cannot nor do we know everything. There are several things that limit our knowledge. We are limited in our capacity to perceive things outside of this natural realm, in the past, or in the future. Our knowledge is limited to the here and now and the present and the information and conclusions we make about the future or the past is based on the information we have before us. One of the major things that limits our knowledge is our culture. Our culture defines how we think about the world, the words we use, and the categories for with we are able to conceptualize.

Answer 6

Who is "he", and what do you know about him? Start with what you know, your parents, grandparents etc. If you have living elderly relatives, interview them, once you get them talking, they are a wealth of information.

There are a couple of "free" options I have used. Some larger public libraries with computer labs have a subscription to ancestry.com; also check the familysearch.org site and see if they have a family history center in your area. They have loads of stuff and are staffed with genealogists who will be happy to help you. Go to Rootsweb.com and post on their message boards. They have a board for almost anything, names, locations, counties etc. I suggest posting under the name and anyplace your ancestor may have lived. The familysearch.org site also has free forms you can print to keep track of what you learn. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Family search.org is the best for searching, if it didn't help you
go to the Public Library (Genealogy Department) and look through the Microfiche. The librarians are helpful with genealogy research. They may be able to provide further direction for you.

Answer 8

rootsweb.com
familysearch.org
cyndislist.com
These should get you started. Also talk to your older relatives and start the tree that way. It is easy to get stuck with just one name to start off with. The more you have, the easier it will be.