By Carol A. Josel

Genealogy brings us together with our past, acquainting us with those who came before us and revealing our history. By reaching out to our ancestors, we gift ourselves and those who follow. It is a quest that begins at home, with children helping at every turn--searching for answers to the question asked by us all: who am I?

First Steps

Do your children know their nationality, the names of their immigrant relatives, how they came to settle in America? Many have no clue, so begin by having your child interview and tape your story and then move on to grandparents, and, if possible, great-grandparents. Then together check out photo and baby albums, scrap books, newspaper clippings, diaries/journals, military certificates, marriage licenses, and long-held letters. Meanwhile, pore through memory boxes hopefully stashed in the attic or a closet and spilling over with mementos from the past. Don’t forget the family Bible either, where someone may very well have kept a record of birth and death dates. Then start making phone calls to relatives near and far. As Studs Terkel once remarked, “Every family has stories to tell,” so get everyone talking and doing some exploring themselves. Once you’ve exhausted all these possibilities, turn to the Internet...

Genealogical Websites: A Starter List

• www.ancestry.com: Provides everything you need to search and create your family tree. Charges $29.95 per month, but is free at most libraries.
• www.ellisislandrecords.org: Find immigration records of millions of people who entered America through Ellis Island.
• www.familysearch.org: Presents a searchable archive of genealogical information gathered by the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
• www.cyndislist.com: Supplies an extensive directory of annotated genealogical links relating to countries, churches, and societies.
• www.usgenweb.com: Offers genealogical records, mailing lists, and websites by state and county.
• www.afrigeneas.com: Offers a database of surnames of African-Americans, along with slave data from public and private records.
• www.archives.gov: Provides census, land, and military records, immigration passenger lists, passport application records

A Writing Campaign

Along with your Internet search — or without it altogether — do some letter writing. The largest and most complete collection of genealogical information is preserved at the Genealogical Library of the Church of the Latter Day Saints and its numerous branch libraries. Write for their information packet at the Genealogical Library, 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150. Acquire vital statistics — birth, marriage, divorce, and death records — by checking with the Department of Health in your state’s capital and/or your county courthouse. You can also request a copy of Where to Write for Vital Records from Consumer Information, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Says the National Archives and Records Administration, “People can be identified in records by their names, by the dates of events in their lives (birth, marriage, death), by the places where they lived, and by their relationships to others, either stated or implied,” so be sure to contact them, too: National Archives in Washington D.C. 20408.

By tracing your roots, your family’s story can be told, blending the past with the present and on into the future, so start exploring with your child soon. The resources are out there waiting for you to make it happen — and it’s easier than you think.

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