FAMILY LIFE
Learning about your ancestors & where they came from can be very rewarding. If you want to uncover your family history, there are easy ways to get started tracing your roots.
Start recording
Begin by starting a written record, or using an online tool to fill in the parts of your family tree you know about. A few online tools include:
* Family Tree Builder (free)
* RootsMagic (costs)
* Ancestry (costs)
* MyHeritage (costs)
Involve relatives
Once you’ve maxed out your own knowledge, ask family to fill in the gaps. It’s also worthwhile to find out if any family members have attempted to trace the family genealogy before. Keep track of this information:
* First and last names
* Date and place of birth
* Location of family homes
* Occupation, education, military service, etc.
Go online
Dig into the various websites that collect and store geological information. Using what you know already about your family tree, you can learn a wealth of information by tapping into these resources:
*familysearch.org– This has one of the most comprehensive catalogs and is a good first step.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine