Find Your Family Tree – Genealogy Info at Home
Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates, School, Legal, Military Records
Jul 22, 2009
Once you have filled out what you know about your family tree on a pedigree chart and family group sheet, the next place basic genealogy step is in your own home.
The first thing to look for is a box of important papers, often kept in a locked box or safe. The papers found here may be anything from birth certificates and old school report cards to worthless stock certificates and registration papers for pedigreed animals. Examine everything that sheds light on an ancestor's life.
Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
Certificates for these vital records for self or parents will verify what you've already entered on the genealogy forms. Additionally, genealogists may find death certificates for grandparents or great-grandparents which give information about previous generations.
Military Records
A copy of a military discharge will include some vital statistics, as well as places. It will also lead to actual military records detailing an ancestor's service. Pension records may include these details, as well as information on injuries, disabilities, and next-of-kin.
Citizenship Papers
For citizens-by-birth, a passport may be the item kept in a safe. For immigrant ancestors, look for civil registration papers, naturalization papers, visas, and name change certificates, as well as passports.
School Records
Diplomas verify where and when an ancestor was educated, and old report cards can bring that ancestor to life. Straight-As or an "unsatisfactory' in Citizenship show personality, and the comments from a second grade teacher are priceless. A succession of report cards from different towns can show a family's migration.
Legal Papers
From land deeds to insurance policies, legal papers can have genealogical importance. Insurance policies list beneficiaries, usually relatives; land deeds and mortgage loan papers show home ownership, which may traceable from family member to family member, especially in the 19th century. Wills not only mention relatives, but usually list the relationship, and often include some tidbit about the person.
Business and Occupational Records
These include certificates, awards and commendations, union records, partnership agreements, and pension information. They not only shed light on an ancestor's daily business life, but put him or her in a particular place at a particular time, and can lead to additional records.
Health and Medical Records
The health records most often kept with important papers are records of immunizations, but even something as simple as these help place ancestors in time. Other medical records may include hospital bills, x-rays, radiology reports, and insurance papers.
For information about photographs and scrapbooks, heirlooms and family Bibles, read Find Your Family Tree – Clues & Sources at Home.
After genealogy buffs have searched their own homes for these family tree treasures, a home survey in their parents' homes (and grandparents, if alive) will yield even more information.
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