- Be interested in the family story. Start asking relatives what they remember about family members. It's important to ask who people were and where they lived and died. This would include not only finding out about parents and grandparents, but their parents and grandparents as well. Tracing ancestry is a way to better appreciate who we are as individuals. We all come from somewhere and all those people are in our personal DNA.
- Churches keep baptism and marriage records on file and have them available for public use. There are many churches that provide on-line services with ancestry information. The Church of the Latter Day Saints promotes tracing ancestry as part of its belief practices. These records are open to the public, usually free of charge, and can help you find out about a particular ancestor.
- You can trace families through census reports. Every 10 years the federal government counts the citizens of this country. Census records will tell you how many people live in a household and list their names and ages. These records are also free.
