A Guide to Genealogy and Family History Research - EverPresent: Digitize. Organize. Share

WRITTEN BY: VANESSA BOUCHER

Many people become curious about their family history and decide to do research to learn more. For some, this process can be surprisingly simple, but for many people, researching their genealogy is a time-consuming task that can take years. But in the end, uncovering your family history can be a fascinating hobby that helps you to learn more about your roots.

Methods of Documenting Your Journey

With the advent of the Internet, vast new avenues of research have opened up for genealogists, as have a wealth of tools to help people create and connect their family trees. You can opt to work mostly on paper, online, or a combination of both. No matter which format is more comfortable for you, you’ll find yourself following the same steps, starting with what you know and then digging into a variety of public records to find the information you need. The cost of pursuing genealogy as a hobby can be as low or as high as you’d like: Often, people will end up spending money on online subscriptions, photocopying at libraries, postage to have records mailed to them, and even travel expenses to different places where key records might be housed. But you can get started documenting your family with just paper and a pen, and there are free resources available online to help people with this journey.

Starting With Yourself and Your Immediate Family

The first step in family history research is to start with what you know: yourself and your immediate family. Write down all of the details you know, such as people’s names, birth dates and locations, and death dates and locations. Look at your own baby photos, which may help to trigger memories of childhood stories that you’d like to document. Then, talk to your parents and siblings. Ask them about their memories as well as about any details they might know about your extended family; for instance, your parents will often be able to fill in their parents’ birth and death details and may also be able to tell you about their aunts and uncles and even their grandparents. From here, you can talk to any other relatives who you think might be able to help you, like your cousins, aunts, or uncles. Even if you don’t get any concrete details to add to your research, you’re likely to hear some interesting family stories that can help to paint a bigger picture of your ancestry.

Gathering Birth, Marriage, Death, and Other Public Records

A key part of genealogy research is gathering documents about your ancestors. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and census records can tell you a lot about family relationships as well as where people lived and even the jobs they held. You might also be able to find immigration records that show when, where, and how your ancestors migrated from one country to another. As you dig into these vital records, you should be able to start following the lines of your family back in time; every birth certificate will tell you two more parents’ names that you need to research next.

Using Libraries, Churches, and Genealogical Societies

Churches, libraries and genealogical societies can all be great sources of family history information. Church records can be particularly important the farther back in time you go: You’ll inevitably hit a point when records were not as well-kept as they are today, and you may need to turn to baptismal records to document a person’s approximate date and place of birth. Librarians themselves are often helpful guides for amateur genealogists, and they may also be able to point you toward materials in their local history collection that mention your ancestors. Similarly, genealogical societies may have local history resources that can help you learn more about the role your family members played in a community.

Tips for Adopted Individuals

If you were adopted or you’re researching a family member who was, this can introduce a layer of complexity to your search. However, with a bit of persistence, you may be able to uncover the information you need.

Adoption records may be available from the adoption agency or from the state. You may also be able to request birth information from either of these sources.
The court that finalized the adoption may also be able to provide a copy of the adoption decree.
Hospitals may have their own birth records that you can request.
If an orphanage was involved, they may have kept records that you can find.
In the past, unwed mothers were sometimes sent to a maternity home, where they would live until after the baby was born. You may be able to find historical records from these facilities.
A lawyer may have been involved in facilitating the adoption. While they won’t be able to tell you anything about their former client, they may be willing to forward a letter from you to them.
Remember that digging into these records may stir up difficult feelings, both in yourself and in the adoptive parents or other close family members.

Free or Low-Cost Internet Research Resources

Many of the most valuable online resources for genealogical resources charge a subscription fee, but some are freely accessible. Comb through these resources and you may be surprised at what you can find!