Searching for Deceased Relatives
Matthew Beeson
October 13, 2008
The names of your grandparents, and possibly your great-grandparents are probably well known to you, and are easy entries when you are compiling your family tree. What the problem can be is finding out about generations that came before them. If they are still alive, you can always ask them about their parents and grandparents, but that will only get you so far. When searching out information, you have to know where to look to get what you need.
The types of records that can help you with your family tree are numerous and all can give you different clues that you can add up to see the whole picture. When you want to add someone to your tree, you have to be sure you have the right person. You want to know the right birth date, death date, marriage date, and where they were born and died. You also want to know the name of spouse, and their vital stats as well. That seems simple enough, but it can be a tall order.
You want to find many things that you can get through your local court house, but that you can find online as well. Search for marriage licenses, death certificates, and any type of cemetery records that you can find. You can use immigration records if you are going back quite a few generations, and even census records that can be found online. Each of these are great sources, and there are many more.
Where you find this information varies with each type of record. You can find the most in one place if you go to one of the large genealogy sites like Ancestry.com or Genealogy.com. They require a fee for membership, but have the most information. There are tons of free sites as well, and those can have what you won´t find through the large sites. Use both for the best chance of finding what you need.
You can spend a lot of time when you want to find cemetery records, marriage licenses, and any other clues that you need. If you don´t have a lot of time, or if you feel your personal searching skills are not that good, you can find sites that do all of the work for you. What you need may come up for you in seconds.
The types of records that can help you with your family tree are numerous and all can give you different clues that you can add up to see the whole picture. When you want to add someone to your tree, you have to be sure you have the right person. You want to know the right birth date, death date, marriage date, and where they were born and died. You also want to know the name of spouse, and their vital stats as well. That seems simple enough, but it can be a tall order.
You want to find many things that you can get through your local court house, but that you can find online as well. Search for marriage licenses, death certificates, and any type of cemetery records that you can find. You can use immigration records if you are going back quite a few generations, and even census records that can be found online. Each of these are great sources, and there are many more.
Where you find this information varies with each type of record. You can find the most in one place if you go to one of the large genealogy sites like Ancestry.com or Genealogy.com. They require a fee for membership, but have the most information. There are tons of free sites as well, and those can have what you won´t find through the large sites. Use both for the best chance of finding what you need.
You can spend a lot of time when you want to find cemetery records, marriage licenses, and any other clues that you need. If you don´t have a lot of time, or if you feel your personal searching skills are not that good, you can find sites that do all of the work for you. What you need may come up for you in seconds.
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