This is a question many of us ask ourselves. Having a sense of history and belonging is important to people. Knowing where we came from, who our ancestors were, helps us get in touch with our own identity. You may find out that you came from a family of survivors. Maybe your family was once very wealthy, or part of nobility. Maybe your family led an honest life as simple peasants. Whatever the case, it is incredibly interesting to peak into the past and get a glimpse of the people who helped make us who we are today. How do you go about such a daunting task as researching your family tree? Oddly enough, to find out about the past you need to begin... 

Vital records are an invaluable source of information when you are on the genealogy journey. These records include birth, death, and marriage certificates and adoption records. While it may be tempting to start your records search with the birth of a family member, it is actually better to begin with the death certificate simply because it is the most recent record of that person and it may be the only record. There may not be any birth or marriage records for the ancestor you are researching. This means that it may be the most accessible and the most accurate document you can find for that person. You may also need a copy of the death certificate... 

You are researching your family tree and you have run up against a brick wall. You have spoken to everyone you can find in your family and have scoured photo albums, attics, and shoe boxes to find any documentation to be had about your family. Where do you look next? Your next most effective tool for tracking down your family history is through vital records, particularly birth certificates. Since birth certificates are very private documents, they can be difficult to obtain, but they can also contain a wealth of information if they were filled out properly so it is well worth the trouble of getting a copy of them. Whose birth certificate do you... 

There are two broad groupings of census information that you need to be aware of: census information taken between 1850 and 1930 and census information taking prior to 1850. If you are looking through census information taken between 1850 and 1930, then you are in luck. These censuses are extremely detailed and the head count is incredibly accurate. Unfortunately, prior to 1850, the censuses were not nearly as accurate. They only listed the name of the head of the household and the number of other people in the house in selected age groups. What information can you glean from a census report? If you begin with the 1930 census, you will very likely... 

Genealogy, or researching the history of your family, can be a fun and valuable hobby. You will get the opportunity to learn where you come from, what your family history is all about, and if anyone in your family was involved in historical events. The hardest part of getting into genealogy for a lot of people is getting started. They just don’t seem to have direction or an idea of how to get going with the search. The best way to get started is actually by getting four things set so that the process is easier. Make sure you have a plan, keep track of a goal, have wide goals, and develop a set of methods that suits you best. The best first step... 

The key to most genealogists’ success is the location of marriage, birth, and death records. They are sources that are created on the local or town level, but can give you an abundance of information as well as confirmation. For the most part, you probably know that such records are found through the county. However, many death records and the like in New England are found through the town clerks. You should be able to find death records dating back through the middle of the 1600’s. In fact, that information is important on another level as well. Before probate districts were put in place in parts of New England, the town clerk kept other...