How to find your family story

Immigration Story Family’s Role in History War Hero Famous Ancestor Royalty or Celebrity Cousin Lineage Society Mayflower Sons/Daughters of the American Revolution

Start with yourself, your parents, your grandparents Full Name Birth Date & Birth Place Marriage Date & Marriage Place Death Date & Death Place

What if there is an adoption? What if I don’t know who my ______ is? What if one of my parents is estranged from his/her family? What if my parent is not helpful?

Ask about the story of your family Interview family members Gather pictures Identify family heirlooms & artifacts Does someone have a scrapbook or newspaper clippings? Pictures Nina's Dolls

Start with someone who was alive in 1940 If you have some idea of where they lived and about how old they might have been, the census is great place to start. Census records are easily located for FREE!! On pony, my grandfather, Richard, holding his little brother, Paul. His sister Rebecca & brother Stanley are standing.

Names Relationships Ages Birth Place

Caution: Look closely! Something isn’t right here. There are 2 Heads of the Household Are John & Fannie the parents of Thomas R.? What does Wd mean?

He was hit by a car and died. I knew this from my grandfather who was only 8 when his father died. But I wanted to know more, and I found this story in the Google News Archive (free!). July 24, 1923 – Lewiston Daily Sun

Once you have some names and dates: Maps – Where Did They Live? Where Did They Travel? World War I Draft Registrations Newspapers – Google, Newspapers.com, GenealogyBank Immigration Records – Pictures of Ships City Directories Local Town Histories – Google Books, OpenLibraryOpenLibrary Further Back Civil War Pension Files - $$ Revolutionary War Pension Files – Fold3 Compiled Genealogies – Genealogy Gophers, Archive Genealogy GophersArchive

Civil War - First Battle of Bull Run Holy History Jackpot Student Finds: Great-grandparent naturalization records Picture of Ship Great- grandparents came on Picture of building where Great- grandparents ran a bowling alley Great-grandpa was a chauffeur in NYC Great-grandpa was a sheriff in Limington & had a daughter injured in a circus tent accident Moving To Maine - Map Certain Lewd Women - Divorce

Our Librarians, Mrs. Denecker & Mrs. Chavonelle are building a libguide that I will link tomy wikispaces page.my wikispaces I will post this presentation on the page for you to use in the future. Would you be interested in an informal, come-when-you-can genealogy club? Let me know if this interests you.