Taking the time to do the detective work and trace your
family tree has the chance to give you a brand-new perspective on life, an
ideal pursuit for the curious, the introspective, and those of you who are
interested in the origins of your heritage.
It can be an immensely rewarding endeavor to look back at
your very own slice of history, perhaps allowing yourself the opportunity to
reach out to distant relatives all over the world, making new connections in
the process.
Here are a few handy tips you may wish to consider in order
to start searching in the right direction:
Modern Advancements in DNA Analysis
As modern
scientific discovery continues to reveal the unknown world, the technology
available for application by the public greatly increases in quality. The same
can be said for DNA sampling and analysis, as methods for investigation become
substantially more accurate as time moves forward.
Home DNA tests such as 23andme are a popular
product that can offer you results and compile them in a straightforward, easy-to-understand
format through an app on your phone. This can be a fantastic place to start
your journey of discovery, as the results often stretch far and wide.
Birth Certificates
To further extrapolate information from your results,
looking for birth certificates can help you fill out some extra information
should you want to piece together a clearer view of your relative’s journey
through life.
Death records and marriage certificates are also a good
place to search; bearing in mind which state they may have been recorded in can
be a crucial first step. If you do not know which state to look for, you could
always search the national consensus for a specific year, search for tax
listings or military records.
Medical Records
Getting hold of your own medical records may help you to
determine subjects such as dates and your demographic. This is now made much
easier with the fantastic team at Records
Retrieval Solutions, who can offer you support and guidance through the
entire process.
Reach Out
If you happen to know of any distant cousins that might be
able to offer you some more information, it might be worth your time to
consider reaching out in any way you can, because no matter how seemingly
insignificant the information might appear to be, it all counts significantly
in your investigation.
This might also include reaching out to your own elders, as
they may have a valuable story or two that can shed some light on the
situation. Perhaps they will be able to supply you with some useful information
about events based on location, such as churches and hospitals you can later
turn to in your research.
Use the Valuable Online Resources
There is a multitude of various online ancestor databases
available to help you, which many people have contributed to over the years.
This can make finding avenues that relate to you easier than ever before. With
all of your newly gathered information, you can start to form a clear picture
of your family tree.
0 Comments