There may be instances in life when you wonder or feel desperately curious about how to find out where your family came from.
Let’s get started with understanding some of the effective ways to trace your family history.
Family History Portals/Genealogy Sites
Various family history online portals or websites like peoplelegacy.com offer substantial genealogy information by allowing you to key in a few basic details like surname, region, state, etc. These portals contain a plethora of information taken from various reliable sources including military records, modern obituaries, books, government documents, and more. These websites not only help in organizing your family chart better, but may also help you find new family members you never knew.
Search on Peoplelegacy.com
Check out the instructions to research your family history on this website.
- Visit the website www.peoplelegacy.com
- On the home page, enter first name, last name, and city/state.
- Click the “search” icon.
- Alternatively, You can click on “Cemeteries” at the top of the page.
- You will see a page with a list of cemeteries in the United States, with places arranged alphabetically.
- On the row of any state, you would find “Cemeteries” and “Memorials”.
- Click on “Cemeteries” or “Memorials” and you can get further details like the address, map, phone number, burial list, and working hours.
Libraries
While it might raise your eyebrow, some libraries offer access to genealogy websites. You can check with the librarians who have all the information. Besides, visiting the library website may lead you to some free resources on the internet. Alternatively, seeking the advice of an expert genealogist may also go a long way in making your search fruitful.
Public databases
Public databases and archives also offer abundant information gathered from various public records such as immigration files, land records, naturalization info, military service records, and census details. The best aspect is that these are highly reliable as the information is extracted from government records.
Search Engines
Search engines including Google, Yahoo, etc. are an easier and cheaper option to look for information. While they may not provide all the info in-depth, you can broadly search and from the results displayed, you may narrow down your search. As a starting point, they could certainly offer some basic information.
Online or Digitized Books
Online books could be another great source of information on family history. Digitized books offer more details and contain specific terms or phrases which may not be available for general search. You can check for specialized websites on family history or genealogy and other internet archives.
Online Newspapers
Online newspapers are informative when it comes to knowing our ancestors or their history. Newspapers provide details on various aspects like court cases, divorces, or any remarkable accomplishments in the field of drama, music, sport, or such. These could serve as potential links on how to research family history and find more in-depth information on your family members.
Family History Societies
Family history societies are run as non-profit organizations that allow members who are expert genealogists to gain from knowledge sharing. These are charitable institutions that help people through their information and services. Besides this, they contain donated certificates, blogs on research by members, and access to the latest projects.
These societies offer a wealth of information and could serve as a gateway to your quest on how to find where my family came from and more.
Browse Documents
There are enough records online that are available without using search terms. Certainly, it will require more time and effort, however, you can get a lot of useful information on how to trace your family history. While some documents can be browsed only via a subscription fee, others allow you to browse for free.
Search Using Places
If you are confident of the residence address, city, and state where your ancestor lived, you can search using these places on online maps, parish data sites, and more. However, knowing the correct residence of the ancestor is crucial as otherwise, all your efforts will go in vain.
Use Filters on the Website
Most family history databases offer multiple filter options like birthplace and year, death place and year, etc. which make your search faster.
FAQs
Are burial records public information?
Yes, various government databases and archives contain documents like details of ancestral graves, memorials, burial records, and cemetery information.
How do I find out where someone is buried?
Death records are the latest records that are kept with the state. Death records of a person are maintained in the state where the person died and not in the place where they were buried. However, using death records, it is possible to access burial information.
Besides, you can visit peoplelegacy.com. On the home page, click “Cemeteries” on the top and that would display all the places in alphabetical order, with cemeteries against each state. Click on “Cemeteries” of the relevant state and it takes you to a page that includes all details on cemeteries like address, phone number, map, working hours, and burial records. You can access the burial information of the deceased from here.
How do I do a Google genealogy search?
Google is a great tool that can help you trace family history. You can follow the below pointers to get started:
- Use specific queries: When you are querying about an ancestor, ensure you are clear and not entering a very generic search query that for instance just mentions the first name.
- Use minus signs and quotation marks: Quotation marks make google look for the exact phrase. On the flip side, minus sign informs google to omit the keywords that are not relevant to your family member.
- Use Google Alerts: Once you have created the ideal query for Google to find information on your ancestors, set up Google Alerts. The alert will inform you every hour of the day to keep you updated.
