hi,
i know my family but past my grandparents telling us names of ancestors, i don't know much about where we come from. can anyone suggest how we should start?

thanks

Cherry

RickJ

Here are two excellent free resources to start with:

www.rootsweb.com
www.familysearch.org

I'll gamble that if you plug in some of those names you'll find cousins you've never met who have info on them.

...and for much more, see Genealogy Research Tips, Help and Advice

shygrneyzs

Start with charting from most current - going backward. You can find those kind of charts in a web search or make your own. If you get the names and some dates down you can also search the Social Security Death Index, the dept of Vital Statistics in your state for birth and death certificates, newspapers, etc. It is a daunting task and seemingly a compex one but once you get started and you have your method down pat, it becomes easier. Contacting the Church of Latter Day Saints genealogy department in Salt Lake City may help you a great deal. In some states there are heritage societies that carry genealogical information.

Just beware - you might run into many people with the same first name and wonder who is who. Just be patient and you will be blessed with a wealth of heritage! Good luck!!

kniller

google may be a little broad but you can check to see if anyone has you in their family tree... other than that just follow what shygrneyzs said

LUNAGODDESS

As a history major and minority studies major... you need to know that certain groups in the United States may have detailed history dating back to 1800...those groups are African Americans and those of Spanish heritage and Asian and Native American heritage...for these groups documents are so limited...one site is
www.ancestry.com there are payment plans with this service...then there are the library of congress and your public library...contact your university or college departments of American or United States History and Minority studies... which includes the studies of Latin America and African American and Asian American studies for example (there are more) tell the professor what your objectives are and they will either help you... if there is a community element to that university or college department...you may have to pay for copies of papers in your search...and talk to older relatives