Hands-down, the most valuable family heirloom you can pass down is your family’s history. The younger generation must be made to know and understand that they are a living legacy. Tracing family roots back through generations can help a person connect more deeply with a sense of self by learning about their family’s past—where they came from, who they were, what they did, the trials they overcame, the accomplishments they achieved, the dreams they had.
Tracing your family’s history can seem overwhelming, but it really does not have to be. Even if you don’t have a clue as to who your ancestors were for more than two generations before you, you will probably still know more than the young people in your family.
The only way to pass down what knowledge you have about your family history is to write it down and see where it takes you.
Gather what information you have at your disposal. Do you have an older relative’s Bible, death certificate, newspaper clippings, marriage certificates, baptismal information, passports, and immigration or naturalization documents? Older family members are frequently happy to “pass down” their existing research documentation to another generation. Using the documentation you have gathered, outline a basic family tree. It is best to use some type of standard format such as Family Group Sheets, which are available for free via the Internet. Quickly, you should be able to identify bare branches in your family tree.
Contact family members near and far. Each individual and family of individuals have a unique life history to tell. Begin questioning relatives to see what they can contribute to your family tree project. Perhaps there are relatives who can trace your family tree even further back than you can. Get in touch with those relatives who are distant and relatives by marriage because they might be able to fill in some missing familial info.
Visit your hometown. Pay a visit to your hometown to visit with relatives and/or close family friends who can also provide you with the info you are seeking. Check out libraries for newspaper archives, cemetery records, and churches attended by family members.
Check out military records. The military (National Archives) keeps records a next-of-kin can access. If your ancestors were in the military, you could obtain information on them, their spouses and dependents.
Find out who came here first. If you know where your family entered the country, you might be able to trace your lineage back to the first generation by investigating immigration records. Then you can work your family tree from both ends and fill in the gaps in the middle.
Once you have gathered all of the available information you need regarding your family history, think about how you want to present it. Family tree charts are typical, but maybe a simple, informational paragraph works best for you. You can download family tree templates from the internet, or you could make a book and add photos, favorite family anecdotes, or even recipes.
Compiling your family history will be interesting to your children because it is not just about the family, it is about them. Tracing your roots is a project that will not only bring a family even closer together, but can also create a cherished document for absolute years to come!
If you’d rather try a service that will help you discover your ancestors, find living relatives, and learn where in the world your DNA comes from consider Root Digger Genealogy Research Services, which specializes in researching African American families. Ancestry.com is yet another reputable site to track down your family or chart your lineage.