Have you ever found who your ancestors were?

Question

Do you already know who your ancestors were, at least from 6,7 or 8 generations ago? How can this be done?

Answer 1

Yes, and I'm writing a book on it, just for the family to have. it's got over 200 pages.

Answer 2

I have mine at the furthest to 1540. Yes I am lucky to have this documented (documented, not cut and paste from the web) because many before me did the work. But because I also did the work I was able to find family members who had done so as well.

Interview anybody in your family that you can. The older the better as the slightest thing can lead you somewhere later. Go to ancestry.com and go from there. It is not a be all end all but a start. Once you get into it you will find more relatives than you can handle. And the big thing...... don't be shy about just calling people that you are related to...... odds are they will be more than happy to hear from you or point you toward the person in that part of the family that has done some research.

Answer 3

You go back one generation at a time. Work a family line and if you come to a brickwall, set it aside for awhile and go to another. You start by getting as much informaiton from family as possible, particularly senior members. Even when their minds are a little feeble they can be very helpful. Tape them if they will let you.
Years later go back and listen to the tape and you will hear things you didn't hear the first time around. What might seem to be insignificant ramblings can turn out to be very important.

Death certificates, social security number applications have parents names and place of birth including mother's maiden name.
Census records. Genealogical libraries have them. Now Ancestry.Com has them.

Court records, Church records etc.

Websites can be helpful but should be used as a supplment not as a main source. Information in family histories on websites must be taken as clues not as fact as most is not documented. Even if you see the same information over and over by different submitters, a lot of copying is being done. Don't be putting in names on a family chart without verifying the information.

Answer 4

Yes, that many generations and more. It wasn't quick, it wasn't easy, and it wasn't free.

Raise your hand if you've carried home copies from some old book from some genealogy library to go over with a yellow highlighter and your cheater reading glasses, not found what you hoped for in the whole darned stack - and still had to file those useless copies you paid for in case of some future research means you needed to take another look for some OTHER name or event or wife or brother in that same data.

Raise your hand if you paid a respected researcher to look for a copy of a Will [made May 10, 1793 (death 1801) Probated May 26, 1802] that you have a dated extract of - but the Will is not to be found in that courthouse. Which means someoneXXX some unknown cousin of yours stole it right out of the courthouse within a certain timeframe because it had THEIR ancestor's name on it.

Raise your hand if you were ever driving in a state you'd never been in before on genealogy research, 1000+ miles from home and spotted an out-of-the-way small cemetery on a rise off the road in the woods, pulled over and hiked over to it and it was THE one, one filled with nearly all ancestors, family of yours.

Answer 5

Yes, I do. I can trace some of my ancestors back 13 generations, to the man who came to New World on the Mayflower.
And you start by asking the people who are still alive (parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc.) to tell you all they know. You investigate public records, newspaper archives, and internet sites. There are a good many government sites that can help, such as the Social Security Death Index in the US. The Ellis Island website has good information if you had ancestors who came to the US that way. http://www.ellisisland.org/ Other countries have information available on the web, too, and much of it is free.

The genealogy sites are wonderful (Ancestry.com, rootsweb.com, etc.) A good computer program is helpful. I use FamilyTreeMaker to keep track of all the information I find.

Happy hunting!

Answer 6

yes,i do . it's done with careful research. the best way is to start with yourself and work backwards. then your parents and so forth. ask questions. talk to your relatives(uncles,aunts,grandparents). find out as much information as you can. go to libraries,historical societies. The Family History Library run by the Mormons in Salt Lake City has the largest genealogical collection in the world(over 1 million records). And you can research their records on line. Just go to familysearch.org. There are different websites where you can check their records. Most sites you have to join. Most charge a membership fee,but some don't. Personally,I've traced my genealogy back about 8 generations. I discovered that I am a sixth cousin of President Eisenhower. It will take time. But be patient and don't get discouraged. Good Luck!

Answer 7

Yes we have several lines back 8-10 generations, and a lot sitting around the 5-6 genrations. There are several ways you can do it, first off speak to family members, especially the older folk and record their answers, it's amazing how good their long term memory is. There are numerous genelogical sites online that can be tapped into. For NZers, Births deaths and marriages are a good start, along with cemetery records. Pay a visit to your local LDS Family History centre (these are listed in the phone book) they have thousands of records waiting to be tapped. Below are a few links that may help get you started - good luck

Answer 8

Yes, but it does take work. Don't expect to find the answers over night.

To echo others' suggestions, first start by writing down what you do know. Talk to relatives. Keep records. Large chunks of my dad's family fell into place with three pieces of information (two by happenstance) - two pieces were from headstones and then correlating it with Census information.

familysearch.org is a great starting place, but it contains only the 1880 US Census. If you want to get serious, I recommend ancestry.com. It costs, but I've found it absolutely invaluable to my research.

Answer 9

I have, but it is all thanks to my fathers extensive, careful research. If you are looking to do this, there are two good ways. First, you can talk to people. If your not afraid to pick up the phone or send a few quick emails, it is easy to talk to your grandmother, and ask about her parents, brothers, and sisters. Then, go from there. Secondly, ancestry.com is an amazing site, with a brief demo. However, the 'amazingness' does come with a price tag ($14/month perhaps?), so it all depends how much this research is worth to you.

Answer 10

I'm back 7 generations. 1st. talk to family. all your elders
to get as much as they remember. listen to the story's
of there fathers & mothers get dates when ever you can
and places. then go to ancestry.com or one of the others
and look up the records, but be careful you have to watch
there will be people with the same names, that are not
your line. verify everything.

my start was a jurnal written by my grandmother.
i have started one of my own to leave for fouther

Answer 11

Yes, with more than a little help from family members:
------Two uncles on my mother's side of the family have each worked on family history for most of their adult lives (all without the aid of computer searches--my mother's oldest brother is 92).
------I've happen to run into distant cousins who were Latter-Day-Saints, all of whom seem to research family connections with religious zeal.
------I've researched my dad's side of the family since about 1978 after listening to numerous family stories.

All of this means I had a really good base of Census records, family bibles, and letters to work with before I joined Ancestry.com