2007-02-16 04:40:27 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Start with your name and those of your parents. See if they or your grandparents have any information. Pick their brains a little about any stories, etc. When I got started, my mother got out the family tree her grandmother had helped her make years ago. It went back a couple more generations (still in the US), and there was a small note that my great-grandma had written that said something about that line being from England according to family legend. So I started researching that line online, and it turns out there are lots of descendants, and found out that they were indeed from England - but also some up that line came from Germany and the Netherlands, and possibly France. This was only one line of my ancestry, too. It's fascinating!
2007-02-16 06:29:00 · answer #1 · answered by Piaz 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Off the top... I very much disagree that you would use the country the NAME comes from as a reliable indicator. Your ancestor might carry an English name, but may have been born anywhere in the world. The same is true for any name/ country.
Example.. you have 8 gr grandparents, 16 gr gr grandparents, etc. ALL are unique, as to their heritage. And each must be researched as such. You will find clusters of families, but the rule still holds true.
One great place for beginners is www.cyndislist.com, that has thousands of research resources (and no, you don't have to pay for most of these). Browse through it to get an idea of the topics, but be sure and take time for a beginning tutorial. Absolutely the one most important thing is to start with the most recent, and work back, using reliable documentation. EVERYONE WANTS TO SKIP THIS. And sooner or later, most people figure out why it doesn't work.
2007-02-17 14:43:54 · answer #2 · answered by wendy c 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
YOU CAN START WITH YOUR LAST NAME. IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW WHAT COUNTRY IT ORIGINATED IN, ASK YOUR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS, UNCLES ETC.
IF NOBODY KNOWS CONTACT A GENEALOGY SOCIETY OR VISIT THAT SECTION IN YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. IF THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED, AS A LAST RESORT YOU CAN HAVE A DNA TEST THAT'S OUT NOW, WHICH CAN TELL YOU WHAT COUNTRY YOUR ANCESTERS CAME FROM. IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE AND WILL TAKE MONTHS TO GET THE RESULTS, BUT EVENTUALLY YOU'LL KNOW. HOPE I'VE HELPED YOU SOME.
2007-02-16 05:05:43 · answer #3 · answered by JEANNE B 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
-ask your parents,grandparents.
-tell your family name and I give you opptions.
-get the book of "shaking your family tree by crandall"
isbn number 0-89909-088-5
- search for data in the city hall
2007-02-16 04:46:05 · answer #4 · answered by ndrsfarkas 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋