I've been researching my family history on and off again for the past 15 years. I started becoming interested in genealogy while in college and haven’t stopped searching for information about my ancestors. It’s become a hobby for me and someday I hope to help others research their family tree. After spending several years researching my family tree, I thought it would be helpful to share a little bit about my ancestry and provide tips on how to start researching your ancestors. 

Upon tracing my ancestors back to the 1700s, I discovered that many of them arrived in the U.S. in several different ways. Like most African-Americans in this country, I am a descendant of enslaved Africans who were brought to this country through the slave trade. My ancestors eventually resided in Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. I am also the descendant of West-Indians who somehow made their way to Pennslyvania and Delaware in the late 1700s as freedmen. My great-grandparents on my mother’s father’s side of the family immigrated to the U.S. from the Bahamas in the early 1900s. Although I’ve been fortunate to trace down a good bit of information about my ancestors, I’m still searching for answers to the blank spaces in my family tree. Here are a few tips on how you can start building your family tree.

Have an objective and figure out what you want to discover

One mistake I made early in my research was not having an end goal when researching my family tree. You must go into the research phase with an objective or you will just get lost looking at a bunch of documents without really knowing what you are looking for. 

Here are a few questions to ask before you begin your journey. What do I already know about my family history? How far back can I go on my family tree today? 

Talk to family

The simplest place to start might be by talking to your own family. Begin by interviewing your older relatives and ask them what they know about your heritage. Think beyond grandparents and reach out to aunts, uncles, and cousins. We are living in such a digital world, it’s so vital that we preserve our oral history. Record as many details during the interview process as they are willing to share. It may be helpful to record the conversation on your phone or capture them talking on video if you are with them in person. These conversations may be hard to have because they may bring up old memories that people may have been afraid to share, but I encourage you to be persistent and ask a lot of questions.  

What should I ask? Here are a few starter questions to ask when interviewing your relatives: What do you recall about your childhood? Where did you grow up and attend school? Do you remember your grandparents or great grandparents? What did your parents do for a living? Did your family have any traditions? 

Take advantage of free online resources

There are so many resources available online to help jumpstart your family research. Start building your family tree using FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com and Archives.gov. These websites have databases with thousands of records dating back more than 400 years. When digging through these online databases of information, you will need to know your family surname and have an idea of where they were living during a specific time frame.

Utilize DNA genetic testing 

Over the past couple of years, DNA genetic testing services like 23andme and Ancestry have grown in popularity with people looking to find out where they are from. After hitting several roadblocks in my research, I decided to take one of the DNA genetic testing services in hopes of finding more clues in my family tree. I've taken 23andMe and Ancestry's genetic tests. These services allowed me to connect with people on my family tree that I had no clue existed. 

Plan a trip to your hometown to visit the archives, library, places of worship, and historical societies

When you’ve hit a roadblock in your research as I have, the next step in your journey is to plan a trip to your hometown to visit the state archives, libraries, churches, and historical societies. My family and I had a trip planned to the Bahamas in February, but we canceled it due to COVID. We planned to spend a couple of days in Nassau visiting the local Bahamas Archives and heading to Eleuthera to visit the church my family would have gone to and visit the historical societies during this trip. These places can tell you what life was like for your ancestors and possibly tell you about your family history in the community. 

Join online communities for people researching genealogy 

I am a member of several online communities with genealogists, historians, people like you and me searching for information about their families. It’s been helpful to connect with people who are on the same path as you are or further in the research process. We share advice and participate in continuing education opportunities like conferences and webinars. 

Are you researching your family tree? I would love to hear about your journey in the comments below.