10 Best Ways to Learn Your Family History

Family history. You’ve heard about it. You might have even seen a few TV shows about it. But more than anything, in the back of your mind, you always have the questions, "Who am I? Where did I come from?" You want to know what your story is and that story starts hundreds of years ago with your ancestors. The process of finding out can be an adventure.

1. Pencil and Paper

You can’t know what you don’t know until you know what you know. I think I just confused myself. Basically, by sketching out your family tree according to your own knowledge, you will start to have an idea of where you need to start searching. 

2. Grandparents

If you’ve got them, use them. If you’ve got a great-grandparent or even a great-aunt, even better. In members of older generations, you have a living breathing library of information. In my experience, the problem is that most people don’t talk about it enough. 

3. Photographs

As long as photos have been a fixture of family life, they have been a medium for recordkeeping among families. Sometimes it’s just a photo of someone you don’t recognize. Other times, names and dates may actually be written on the back of the photo itself. 

4. Family Reunions

Awkward or not, getting together with extended family—especially those you don’t know very well—is a great way to fill in the gaps in your history.

5. Birth Certificates

These records are a great way to attach children to parents. Luckily, birth certificates are fairly common. Everyone has one and they help to give a beginning point for any given life. Best of all, most families hold onto these because of their importance in getting things like Social Security Cards or Passports. 

6. Death Certificates

These records complete the bookends to someone’s life. They typically tell you when, where, and how they died. Important stuff. They can often be found in the possession of surviving relatives. If not, death certificates can also be obtained from the vital statistics office in the state in which the death happened. 

7. Marriage Certificates

You’re probably noticing a trend here. You want to get your hands on as many records of significant life events as possible. Marriage is one of those—it creates another branch in the family tree. If you can’t find these certificates with relatives, this site  is a good place to search if your family history is primarily in the U.S.

8. Family History Websites

Sites like Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com may be the first thing that come to mind when you think of starting your family history search. The best feature of these services is that they allow you to tap into the family history work that other users have already done on your pedigree. Sort of the family reunion effect.

9. Family History Center

Nearly every county in the U.S. has a family history center of some kind. These centers come equipped with computers, microfiche libraries, county records, and more. Most importantly, they come with a helpful, knowledgeable genealogist who can help you past any roadblocks. This page is an easy way to find one a family history center in your area. NOTE: Although these centers are provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they are open to the public.

10. Roadtrip

Beyond documents, photographs, and stories, there are the places in which your ancestors lived. If it will fit in your budget, you might consider taking a trip to these places. There is something magical about walking on the same streets or sitting in the same church your forebears did. It makes your family history all the more real. Often, at historical sites, churches, or museums, you may run into pieces of information that fit into your genealogy.