I am trying really hard to find my family history as far as ethnicity does anyone know how to do this? I mean I know I have Italian Swedish and French but there is more and my mom and I don't really know since we don't really have relationships with family other than well Father,Sister,Mom,Me type of thing and on my fathers side he was adopted and he doesn't know a whole lot himself.
Help?
2007-06-28 16:16:25 · 6 answers · asked by Staci® 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
His adoptive parents were abusive and didn't care much plus they've passed on.
2007-06-28 19:27:19 · update #1
The trick to doing genealogy is to work backwards. Start with you then work back through your parents and grandparents. Start only with what you know. Familysearch.org has a page from which you can download a program called Personal Ancestry File (PAF). You can enter in the information as you collect it and save it on your computer. The download is free by the way.
Family Search also has a database in which you can search for addition information on your ancestors (it help to have the whole name and either a location or a birthday). The more information you have the more accurate your search will be. If you do happen to find something don't necessarily take it as fact. Even if the same information is repeated, all of the users may have copied the same incorrect information.
Another useful site is ancestry.com. However, there is a fee involved to use the site.
Your situation is a little difficult because the information that you are looking for isn't necessarily easy to find. I would suggest making new ties with your mother's family or probing your mother for as much information as she can give you (on her parents, grandparents, siblings etc.).
As for your father's side. Take to his adoptive parents. There should be adoption paperwork somewhere or they may just know. If you can't find his biological parents, maybe you could trace the adoptive line instead.
2007-06-28 16:30:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Asking family members is the standard beginning approach, however it is assuming that we have grandparents available. That isn't always the case.
What I'd like to explain however... is that the concept of research is finding out what others DON'T know (or remember), in available historical records. After all.. even if you had living relatives, that would only take you as far as their memory goes. Your goal is to start a notebook (lined paper is fine for a workbook) and make notes about each ancestor that you can identify, including approx dates and locations of birth/ death. When you don't have the date, that is where you turn to things such as death certificates, census records, etc.
http://rwguide.rootsweb.com/
Here is one (of many) online guides to starting research. The trick in adoptive is "simply" to see if you can locate the id of the birth parents.. sometimes you can, other times, not. From there, the approach is the same.
Please don't try to work a "surname"... work the individual persons, methodically, and learn their facts. Not everyone with the same surname is related, not everyone with a French surname is French. And no, you don't HAVE to subscribe to anything, unless you choose that it offers access to records that you can't get elsewhere.
2007-06-29 05:04:54 · answer #2 · answered by wendy c 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Blue T gave you very good information. Get as much information from family as possible, particularly senior member. Tape them if they will let you. What might seem to be insignificant ramblings and story telling might turn out to be very significant.
Now information in family trees on any website must be take 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 and there are errors in those trees.
Go to your public library and see what resources they have in the genealogy section. They might have a subscription to Ancestry.Com you can utilize. Ancestry.Com has a lot of records and is obtaining more all the time. They have all the censuses through 1930. The 1940 is not available to the public yet.
Call your nearest Mormon Church. Ask them if they have a Family History Center. Those FHCs have a lot of records on people all over the world. They won't send their missionaries by to ring your doorbell because you availed yourself of their services.
As you talk with people in genealogy at your library and at the Family History Center you will be getting a lot of good ideas.
Good Luck!
2007-06-28 17:55:30 · answer #3 · answered by Shirley T 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If it is names, dates, towns, etc., check the genealogy websites/books, etc. You can check Kentucky Genealogy Society, or Louisville Genealogy, etc., check the censuses and so forth. Go to Cyndi's List on the net for references. Check the genealogy section in libraries.
If you only want to know "ethnicity" go to www.ftdna.com or similar, have a DNA test done (it's really two-fold; the yDNA and mtDNA) and your individual DNA will give them the information to send you a report (your own website) to tell you what countries your women ancestors came from and the male ancestors. (This is only direct line: that is, father to father, mother to mother.)
2007-06-28 16:31:12 · answer #4 · answered by Nothingusefullearnedinschool 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would also recommend www.rootsweb.com as a place to search and learn about genealogy. the familysearch.org site has some usefulness, but a lot of the records are inaccurate and could be misleading.
2007-06-28 17:33:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No - no longer something that related yet I do appreciate ingesting & cooking ethnic meals. maximum powerful connection interior the on the spot kinfolk - for me - it form of feels to be pancakes, crepes & breakfast frequently.... The spouse prefers soup beans & corn bread for convenience foodstuff. Conan as One could think of prefers meat..
2016-10-19 03:31:14 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋