95 - Trace your ancestry

Reason for this Goal to trace your ancestry:  We all have a life story that precedes us, which is part of our legacy and who we are, but many of us don’t know what that is.  With the advent of the internet, DNA testing, and on-line information that has been compiled about people, it is now possible to extensively research and find out more about our roots and our prior generations of family.  In connecting with our past, it can give us a greater sense of who we are. 

Following are some methods in how to trace your ancestry:

• Do all your ground work before searching on-line, starting with yourself and working back through all your records.
• Interview your parents and grandparents, and take notes.
• Share your work with your family when they drop by for a visit.
• Look for documents and records, such as death certificates, marriage records, census records, immigration records, church records, court records, and public libraries.
• Talk to family members at family reunions, and find out who else may be interested or who has already started doing this.
• Use the services of one of the hundreds of online websites, such as Ancestry.com, with extensive records, including census records.

It is important to stay organized and develop methods of storing and archiving all the information that you will come across.  It’s likely you will need a combination of computer files, filing cabinet folders, and 3-ring binders to organize all your information.  There are even professional websites available, such as www.fileyourpapers.com, to help with this very process.

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