Imagine for a minute that you've traced your family history back as far as the generations go. With the final named pulled, the final link connected, and the final piece of paperwork confirmed, the realization comes that you were related to royalty. Or, perhaps, an ancestor played a role in the Revolutionary War. Or maybe, a branch of family members came from a country that was completely unexpected. As tough as it is to believe, things like this do happen, and it all starts by tracing back one person's lineage.
Knowing family history doesn't just have medical benefits, it has personal benefits, too. There's a rewarding and affirming feeling that comes with knowing exactly where your family came from, including what they were like, what they accomplished, and what their legacy was. From a travel perspective, it's a surreal experience being able to trace back literal steps to an ancestor and be able to walk the same path that they once did or see the home they once lived in or built. So where does one start on such a journey?
Begin By Asking Questions And Writing Down The Answers
The easiest place to start is with other family members. Grandparents, great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, older cousins - they all might have valuable sources of information relevant to the history of the family. If nothing else, this is a great way to spark up a conversation with distant family members!
Any pertinent information should be written down - even if it doesn't seem important, write it down anyway! You never know when a minor detail could mean the difference between mistaking one person's family member for another.
Utilize Every Internet Tool Available
Nowadays, those seeking out answers for their family tree are lucky enough to have a number of free services available. Public records are often a great place to start, especially for other countries. These records can then be compared with other sites such as Ancestry or Family Search. Many sites even offer free trials, which allow for up to 30 days of searching for free.
For more detailed information, sometimes it is worth the annual or monthly fee to access more detailed and specific records. This is a personal choice, depending on how easy it is to map out a person's lineage.
Start A Scrapbook Of Your Findings
This is important. It's one thing to make a family tree account and entrust data to a website. It's another to have a family tree - along with significant details - written down on a piece of paper. It's also a good idea to print the said family tree data, which will then allow you to write notes on a physical copy of something.
Sometimes, seeing things mapped out on a hard piece of paper rather than a computer screen can help them make more sense. Connections and questions can be written down and answered, and the best part? It's something to hand down for the next generation of family members, thus keeping your family history alive with physical proof.
Finally, Plan A Trip To Experience Your Ancestry First-Hand
This is the exciting part! There's only so much that can be experienced virtually. Though travel looks a bit different right now, it won't be that way forever - and now is the perfect time to begin planning a potential future trip. Once all the details have been filled in and connections have been drawn, write down all the places your ancestors can be traced to.
Landmarks, previous addresses, and places of work are all fun places to experience. For those who want to take things even further, it doesn't hurt to contact the department of public records and see if they have any further information on a specific person or place. Many countries keep generations of records, and they should be too difficult to find.