A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, in Russia, in
Brazil…
Some of you may know that I have been
researching my family history – genealogy – for nearly 40 years. I am not a professional; it is just a
hobby. It is often frustrating, but it
is also very exciting and interesting.
My husband also is researching his family
tree. He is adopted, but he knows his
biological family well. So he has been
researching both is adopted and bio family.
Because of the internet, genealogy is much
easier today than it was when I first began.
My husband has found records for his bio family back to before
Christ! He didn’t conduct the original
research. Others did, but they shared it
online. I have not found any records for
my own family beyond the 1700’s.
I have been asked by people here on IBO and
others how I do my research. For those
who are thinking of starting their own family history or who have just begun, I’d
like to share some suggestions.
The very first thing anyone should do when
they start genealogy is to speak to your family, particularly older members of
the family. Interview them about
everyone they remember, like their grandparents or great-grandparents. It is great if you can record the interview
to return to at any time, but certainly write down everything they tell
you. So much of the information I have
acquired came from my parents, aunts and grandparents that I know I wouldn’t
have nearly as many records as I do without their help.
There are hundreds of genealogy
websites. Most charge a fee, and some of
the fees are very high. Nearly everyone
has heard of http://ancestry.com, which is
one of the largest collections of genealogy records you’ll find. If you subscribe to all their records, it can
cost you well over $100. They offer a
seven-day trial for free if you want to just check it out. However, many public libraries subscribe to
ancestry.com and offer it as a free service.
Many of you may know that the Mormon’s (The
Church of Jesus Crist of Latter-Day Saints) have a huge genealogy collection as
well. Researching their ancestry is part
of their religion. “We do it to obtain names and other
genealogical information so these temple ordinances can be performed for our
kindred dead.” (http://mormon.org/values/family-history) Both Mormon’s and non-Mormon’s can visit their Family
History Centers throughout the United States (likely worldwide). Volunteers will help you get started with
their records. They also have a
genealogy website, http://familysearch.org
where you can conduct research without charge.
Another great free genealogy site is http://rootsweb.ancestry.com. You need not subscribe or pay here.
If your more recent ancestry leads you to
New York, you may find more free records at http://italiangen.org. My family is Jewish with no Italian
connection, but I have found many records there.
If your family immigrated to the USA
through New York, you may find the manifest of the ship’s passengers at http://ellisisland.org. Ellis Island was in operation from about 1890
to 1921, and millions of records are on the site. Prior to that time, http://castlegarden.org has some records. There have been many other points of entry
over the years, including Boston, Philadelphia, British Columbia (Canada) and
more.
If you have Jewish ancestry, you’ll want to
check out http://jewishgen.org.
They have a fabulous collection of records as well. If your family was in Europe during WWII, you
may want to also visit http://www.yadvashemusa.org/. Their records cover Holocaust victims and
survivors.
Of course, if you can travel to your
ancestors’ homeland, you can find even more.
There are many more genealogy websites, but the ones I have provided
here are the ones I use most often and find valuable.
Good luck with your research!
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