| I've been researching my family history for over | | | | years of censuses to identify your family. These |
| 20 years and I've learned a lot. When I started | | | | days it's so much easier! Many search site have |
| out I didn't really have any family members to | | | | what they call "Soundex" which gives you names |
| ask. We were pretty much estranged from them. | | | | that sound like a surname. Here are some of the |
| My dad passed on first and then later when my | | | | best resources out there: |
| mom died I was sorting her paperwork and came | | | | 1 - Get it at home. Start with birth certificates, |
| across my parents' marriage certificate. It not | | | | death certificates, marriage certificates and family |
| only gave their wedding date, but the place and | | | | bible. Go to a family reunion and start talking to |
| their parents names and places of birth. What a | | | | anyone who may have already researched your |
| windfall! From that information I traced my dad's | | | | family history. Springboard from there. |
| side of the family back to the late 1700's. | | | | 2- Start organizing your tree by purchasing "family |
| Before the explosion of information via the | | | | tree maker" at If you're truly serious about the |
| internet I had to go to the Church of the Latter | | | | research and need resources outside you famile |
| Day Saints ( the Mormon Church) to get census | | | | circle, purchase the full boat at ancestry. It's about |
| information. At the local Family History center I | | | | $150/yr., but gives you access to an incredible |
| ordered reels of census records. These were on | | | | amount of information including Social Security |
| micrfiche and mainly hand written. With the use of | | | | Death Index (SSDI). Just go to the home page |
| a magnifying glass I would go through reels and | | | | and see the records you will have available to you. |
| reels until I thought my eyeballs would fall out of | | | | 3- Try various websites that pertain directly to |
| their sockets. You'll know what I mean if you go | | | | your nationality. type in a search engine i.e., "irish |
| to some of these older records. Many of the | | | | roots". |
| census takers couldn't understand a foreigner's | | | | 4-Google it. Just put in a last name and see what |
| pronunciation of names so they just spelled the | | | | comes up. You never know... |
| last name as they thought it sounded. Our last | | | | 5- If you do find a possible contact, stick with it |
| name went from Mulvany to Mulvanny to | | | | until you find that you're really not related. |
| Mulvaney. Look at the children's names every ten | | | | Good luck and get started! |