How can I find my ancestors if I don't even know who they were?
I’m doing a family tree and I don’t know where to start. I don’t know who any of my ancestors were or any of their names. I can’t find any website to search them either. Help!
Tagged with: ancestors • family tree
Filed under: Research
*smiles at you*
Figuring out who they were, is the point of the game. (I think of it as a game). The basic thing is (1) start with you.. figure out who your parents are. USE YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
NO, don’t laugh. Yes, you know who they are. I am introducing you to the idea that you ALWAYS use a document, not what you know. When you get back 100 yrs, no one knows. Since Wendy nagged you from day one to use documents, that won’t slow you down.
Now, using their birth certificates if you have them.. document who your mom and dad’s parents are/were. Sometimes, you’ll get surprised. Sometimes, the grandpa that you always knew, turns out to be grandma’s second husband who adopted mom or dad. And be prepared.. people don’t alwasy like to talk about this. When you get to the dead ones, they usually don’t get upset about anything.
You won’t find live persons online. That is your main hangup at the moment. It is to protect people from id theft, or privacy. We all have things that we might prefer not be public info, somewhere in the family.
http://www.rootsweb.com has a much more extensive guide to this, including what records you use in the 1800s, when the state figured if you had a baby, it was no one’s business. So there were no birth certificate. When people died, there were no death certificates. The tombstone was the record. Every 10 yrs, the govt took a census, counted people and asked various questions like where your parents were born, and do you own your land, blah blah.
For now, you need to work with family. If your grandparents are living and remember their grandparents, that takes you back quite a ways. If this is for school, they won’t want the documents, but you need them if you get serious about this stuff.
It REALLY is fun, not just work. Once you get going, you may want to know more. Check out the tutorial, start asking questions, and we are always here to help when you get stuck.
ps if this is for school.. teacher is introducing you to research..HOW to find info that you don’t have.
You start with yourself and go back. Search on similar questions and you will find responses to answers like yours from some of the gurus here.
If you are really serious, a subscription to ancestry.com is well worth it.
Good luck and have fun. But beware: it is addicting.