One day my husband and I were visiting his father, who happened to mention that he had a number of family birth and death certificates that he had managed to obtain during a trip to England (my husband’s parent are English). He said he was curious about his family history, but would likely never know the real story of his ancestors.

Always up for a challenge, I jumped in with both feet, and offered to do some research for him. His eyes lit up as he handed over all his documentation.

Back in 2004, there were scarcely any resources available to do this sort of research, short of trawling through Microfilm records. Because I live in Canada, I knew I wouldn’t have access to British records taking that route. So I had to get inventive. I had heard about the Mormons’ vast database of genealogy records, and was fortunate enough to live in a city where there was a Mormon Church and Family History Center. I had to book an appointment and a helpful person there advised me how to do online research. They had a subscription to Ancestry.com which they made free to the public.

Well, I was off and running! I worked backwards, finding connections as I went. That experience opened me fully to the mystery and joy of searching for one’s ancestors. Birth records showed mothers’ maiden names, Marriage records often had parents names’ of the bride or groom as witnesses, and Death records often gave cause of death. All in all, little slices of life that began to constitute pictures of lives lived.

Sadly, my father-in-law passed away last week. But the hefty Family History provides a lasting legacy  for the entire family.

One day my husband and I were visiting his father, who happened to mention that he had a number of family birth and death certificates that he had managed to obtain during a trip to England (my husband’s parent are English). He said he was curious about his family history, but would likely never know the real story of his ancestors.

Always up for a challenge, I jumped in with both feet, and offered to do some research for him. His eyes lit up as he handed over all his documentation.

Back in 2004, there were scarcely any resources available to do this sort of research, short of trawling through Microfilm records. Because I live in Canada, I knew I wouldn’t have access to British records taking that route. So I had to get inventive. I had heard about the Mormons’ vast database of genealogy records, and was fortunate enough to live in a city where there was a Mormon Church and Family History Center. I had to book an appointment and a helpful person there advised me how to do online research. They had a subscription to Ancestry.com which they made free to the public.

Well, I was off and running! I worked backwards, finding connections as I went. That experience opened me fully to the mystery and joy of searching for one’s ancestors. Birth records showed mothers’ maiden names, Marriage records often had parents names’ of the bride or groom as witnesses, and Death records often gave cause of death. All in all, little slices of life that began to constitute pictures of lives lived.

Sadly, my father-in-law passed away last week. But the hefty Family History provides a lasting legacy  for the entire family.

• Finding the parent’s names
• Finding an individual’s birth date or place
• Finding a marriage date or place
• Finding a death date or place
• Finding a spouse’s name, or maiden name
• Finding the names of siblings
• Finding background information on the family
• locating census records

Steps to Success

• organize what you have- label photographs, scan photos to your computer, write down locations
• interview older relatives- find someone on each side to ask questions about places they lived, stories they have heard
• visit a family history center such as LDS, check online for your local center
• write out your personal stories
• and last, take a trip. try to go to the location you are in the most ned of information, talk to people at the library, court house etc. There are always willing researchers