Discovering Your Family History

What follows is the result of comprehensive research and documentation. This article has been created after the study of many resources.

It is natural to want to know more about your roots and family history. Humans have an innate need to understand where they came from and how that affects them for the future. Researching your family history can provide a deeper understanding of your motivations, needs and patterns.

Many people begin genealogy research following a major event in their lives. A birth or death in the family, marriage, or other major turning point can spawn an interest in genealogical research. Other people begin a family history simply out of curiosity or interest. Often a genealogy project begins as a way to fill time over a summer and becomes a lifelong hobby.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to research your family history, there are some standard methods that are generally used. First, you will want to interview your family members, particularly the older generations. They can give you information about their parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles. You will also want to determine whether any sort of written history already exists, perhaps in a family Bible.

Once you have gotten all of the information that you can, you will be ready to move on to records searches. The Social Security Death Index is a wonderful resource for anyone performing genealogical research. The SSDI allows you to search for records of people who have died in the United States. Simply enter as much information as you know about the person and the Index will provide all matching records. You can use this resource to find someone's social security number and the state and zip code of his or her last residence, as well as exact dates of birth and death. This information can help you determine where to go next in researching your family history.

Other records that you may find helpful include census records and land records. Census records can give you information about the place in which your ancestors lived. Specific data on each household is not available individually, but census records help you to place each portion of your family history within a larger town context. Land records will give you specific information regarding your ancestors' property holdings. Both census records and land records may be available online, depending on the specific period and location in question.

Many other types of records may also help you in your search. Depending on your specific research situation, you may discover military records, probate records and other documents. Each of these records that you uncover will add a bit more data to your family history.

Beginning a genealogical search for your family history is a wonderful way to start a fulfilling hobby. You'll learn more about who you are and the people who made it possible for you to exist. The discovery of wonderful stories is also a great possibility, and you'll certainly find the hobby of tracing your family history one with no limits, as there is always more to learn.

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