| When delving into an American Family History, | | | | you can start to develop a picture of your family, |
| there are certain advantages and certain | | | | its history, where it went and how it got there. |
| disadvantages to learning about the people who | | | | Unfortunately, there are going to be some |
| immigrated to a new country in the New World. | | | | difficulties when trying to assemble an American |
| There are usually a great many records of the | | | | family history. This is particularly true in families of |
| people once they are in America, but collecting an | | | | African descent whose ancestors were sold as |
| American family history can often be difficult for | | | | slaves. The record keeping was often rather thin |
| certain regions and can be more difficult for | | | | both during and after the years of slavery. And |
| learning about families before they left their native | | | | attempting to learn where the original members |
| lands. | | | | of your family came from is next to impossible. |
| When assembling an American family history, the | | | | Sub-Saharan Africa is a very large place. |
| first place to start is, of course, with the still-living | | | | As well, for almost any family the record-keeping |
| relatives. They can provide a wealth of | | | | in the rural South and Appalachia was thin at best. |
| information about one's ancestors. As they have | | | | Often, the records do not exist at all. Attempting |
| memories of parents, grandparents, and | | | | to find information about your family, even births |
| sometimes even great-grandparents, they can | | | | and deaths, can be like trying to grab the brass |
| offer names, a few descriptions, and perhaps | | | | ring on a merry-go-round with your eyes closed. |
| some memoirs and memorabilia. Your surviving | | | | For families such as these, your family members |
| ancestors are an excellent place to start your | | | | will be of much more use than government |
| investigations into the history and people of your | | | | records when compiling an American family |
| family. And these living links to the people and | | | | history. With a few memoirs you can piece |
| places of bygone years can often provide you | | | | together some information. But many times the |
| with important research materials and memoirs | | | | data will be rather loosely conjectural. |
| that will get your search off to a roaring start. | | | | As well, another difficulty with collecting and |
| Next, it is time to check government records. | | | | American family history is figuring out anything |
| These can be a wealth of knowledge about | | | | about your family before it immigrated. Many |
| names, dates, places, and times of death and | | | | immigrants arrived with only a suitcase and the |
| birth for your American family history. With birth | | | | clothes on their backs. Some did not even have |
| records listing the names of people and the | | | | the suitcase. Thus, their arrival was a clean break |
| names of their parents, your search can expand | | | | from distant lands to start an entirely new life |
| both upwards and outwards. With the names of | | | | here in America. Learning anything about your |
| parents, you will be able to learn the names of | | | | ancestors in the home country is difficult when |
| their other children. And with records of death, | | | | one tries to look back through the murky past. |
| one can learn where these people wound down | | | | Though compiling an American family history can |
| the remainders of their lives. | | | | be difficult at times, it is far from impossible. With |
| However, birth and death records are not the | | | | a little time, a little tenacity, and a few bits of luck |
| only records that can add information to your | | | | that can arise with consistent effort, you can |
| American family history. There are also deeds, | | | | construct a picture of your ancestors that will find |
| land grants, court papers, patent records, | | | | a place of pride amongst your heirlooms. So feel |
| copyrights, and, of course, immigration papers. | | | | free to start your investigations and learn just |
| These are very important for delving into your | | | | where your name came from and how it |
| family history, as they will allow you to | | | | eventually ended up with an entirely unique |
| understand who these people were and where | | | | treasure: you. |
| they lived. With each little piece of information, | | | | |