There has been an explosion of interest in tracing ancestry in the last couple of decades, with digital technology having opened up new avenues of research to the general public. For someone with no prior knowledge of how to do it though, the process can sometimes seem intimidating. Taking the name 'Pat Lawrence' as an example of an ancestor, it can be seen that the process is actually not that difficult, as long as you are patient.
Getting that name of an ancestor is the important first step, and getting a name that goes as far back through the generations as you can manage is a good idea too. The next thing is to try and discover the date of birth of that ancestor. With a relatively common sounding name like Pat Lawrence, the date of birth is crucial fro identification.
These two dates make beginning a search back through the documentary evidence, which can often be scant, a much more straightforward process. A definite date is also a great boost to your confidence and morale, which can become important when searching for elusive ancestors. Not many individuals in history have shared an exact match in terms of birth date and name.
The location of of birth or death is another important step on the road to tracing your ancestry. This can often span oceans and countries, even continents, if ancestors emigrated. Sometimes you might well be unsure as to which country your ancestor was born in, so try and delve into the memories of elderly relatives or dust off your own memories of family anecdotes; the clue you need might well be hiding in plain sight.
Surnames and some first names can also give a good indication of which country an ancestor may have been born in. Taking the surname Lawrence as an example, we might well reasonably surmise an English origin. Names can have changed though, especially when emigration has occurred, while English is also spoken in a great many other countries. The best thing is to use this as sign post along the way and keep an open mind.
Establishing a religion for your ancestor is another potential source of good information. Church records can provide lots of key data about the significant points in an ancestor's life. Certain nationalities are often strongly associated with certain religions too, which can offer some kind of guidance along the way.
Marriage, birth and death records really care the keys you can use to take yourself further back in time. Digging out specific details becomes much more difficult the further back in time you search, so treasure concrete specifics that you find. Military and employment records are another good source of data.
Using the name Pat Lawrence as a simple starting point, you could manage to trace ancestry back several generations, with some patience and a little planning. Remember that the detail of lives is contained in the points where there was official documentation. Births, deaths and marriage records are how to mine gold when trying to trace your ancestry.
Getting that name of an ancestor is the important first step, and getting a name that goes as far back through the generations as you can manage is a good idea too. The next thing is to try and discover the date of birth of that ancestor. With a relatively common sounding name like Pat Lawrence, the date of birth is crucial fro identification.
These two dates make beginning a search back through the documentary evidence, which can often be scant, a much more straightforward process. A definite date is also a great boost to your confidence and morale, which can become important when searching for elusive ancestors. Not many individuals in history have shared an exact match in terms of birth date and name.
The location of of birth or death is another important step on the road to tracing your ancestry. This can often span oceans and countries, even continents, if ancestors emigrated. Sometimes you might well be unsure as to which country your ancestor was born in, so try and delve into the memories of elderly relatives or dust off your own memories of family anecdotes; the clue you need might well be hiding in plain sight.
Surnames and some first names can also give a good indication of which country an ancestor may have been born in. Taking the surname Lawrence as an example, we might well reasonably surmise an English origin. Names can have changed though, especially when emigration has occurred, while English is also spoken in a great many other countries. The best thing is to use this as sign post along the way and keep an open mind.
Establishing a religion for your ancestor is another potential source of good information. Church records can provide lots of key data about the significant points in an ancestor's life. Certain nationalities are often strongly associated with certain religions too, which can offer some kind of guidance along the way.
Marriage, birth and death records really care the keys you can use to take yourself further back in time. Digging out specific details becomes much more difficult the further back in time you search, so treasure concrete specifics that you find. Military and employment records are another good source of data.
Using the name Pat Lawrence as a simple starting point, you could manage to trace ancestry back several generations, with some patience and a little planning. Remember that the detail of lives is contained in the points where there was official documentation. Births, deaths and marriage records are how to mine gold when trying to trace your ancestry.
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