"Since my job involves locating and sharing government information, I sometimes get research assignments from my family; they send me questions about consolidating student loans, social security benefits, and consumer issues. Still I was surprised when my Grannie recently asked me to do some research about her paternal grandparents. I’m ready to jump at the opportunity to learn more about my ancestors, but where do I start?The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) seems to be the place to start my search. This agency has millions of federal records in their holdings, including:
• Census records
• Military records
• Immigration and naturalization records
• Land records
NARA maintains online, tutorials and resources for you to do preliminary research and learn what federal records they keep. Most of the actual records are not online, so I’m going to have to take a trip to the actual headquarters. In addition to the research facilities in Washington, DC there are regional research institutions in other cities across the country. I was relieved to know that they even offer genealogy workshops. As an African American, records for my family may be a little more challenging to find; thankfully, NARA created tips for the best records to use to find information for many ethnic heritages.
In addition to federal records, contact your state or county government to locate your family’s vital documents, such as birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates. You should also compile as much family information by browsing through family diaries, letters, scrapbooks, photos, and other keepsakes. You may also want to acquire copies of family wills and deeds to properties.
Have you ever researched your family’s genealogy- what tips can you share with us?
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