How to learn more about your family's heritage.
With so many publicly available resources these days, including DNA testing, ancestry websites, and access to government record collections, we can learn more about ourselves and our family’s history than ever before.
That’s why, regardless of which methods you prefer, it’s helpful to know why you are doing this research, what you hope to learn from it, and what you plan to do with the information you find.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Talk to Your Family First
This might seem obvious, but it is the best place to start. When you want to learn more about your family’s history, go directly to the source. Ask your grandparents (if they’re still living), aunts and uncles, and even your Godparents or long-time family friends. You would be amazed by how much you can piece together with their help.
That said, if you are the oldest living generation, a great place to start is by connecting with your siblings and cousins. Whether they are older or younger, they may have heard different family stories growing up. Their recollections may help you organize your family tree and better understand your family’s history.
Do Your Research
It’s imperative not to mistake everything you find as fact. There are so many online resources that much of the information can be very misleading. Reserve your searches to reputable genealogy websites, such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org. If you’ve already collected basic information on your ancestors, you may also search for their headstones using BillionGraves.com and FindAGrave.com.
Verify Your Sources
Cross-reference everything. Remember that many families have changed their surnames completely, or the spelling of their surname may have changed over time. Written records are not always reliable or considered accurate sources of information. For example, in my husband’s family, on his mother’s side, his great-grandfather emigrated from England with his mother when he was just an infant. As a result, he was never properly registered in the United Kingdom or Canada and had no formal birth certificate to his name.
Hire a Professional
Although this could be costly, it’s likely the most reliable way to verify your family tree. A professional genealogist will save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you cannot verify the information you find. They have access to numerous international databases and translators and the experience to know where to look and how to understand the information they uncover. When looking to work with a genealogist, check their professional designations and client ratings.
Keep it Simple / Make it Personal
You may encounter a lot of misinformation, which may make it difficult to verify your sources. In that case, consider sticking with the facts you have and the stories of living relatives and those who have recently departed. Or better yet, consider recounting your life story in a personal memoir.
Often, the best stories are the ones we lived through ourselves. For a story to be engaging, it needs details and facts, and even more importantly, it needs to express genuine feelings such as love and longing, fear and loss, and the strength to persevere through life’s struggles and setbacks.
With that, I wish you the best of luck with your search. If you’re interested in recording your family’s history in a stunning coffee table book or with a legacy wall display, I’m more than happy to help.