If you’re interested in finding out more about your family, I would strongly recommend that the first thing you do is interview members of your family. Start with your grandparents, your parents, aunts and uncles. Ask questions and give them time to answer and either write down what they tell you or better still, record them. Ask where they were born, birth and death dates of their parents, marriage dates, ask for copies of any official documents they might still have (birth and death certificates, passports, any military documents).
My mother, with some encouragement, wrote down memories and stories of both her family as well as my father’s. She wrote dozens and dozens of pages so now, almost eight years after her death, these memories are preserved and in her own handwriting.
After you’ve exhausted and possibly irritated your relatives, then start with some of the free genealogical Web sites like:
CyndisList.com – one of the best sites out there, Cyndi’s List is a compilation of basically every genealogical site worth visiting. Sign up for the free email announcements and receive regular updates to your in-box.
FamilySearch.org – this site is a service provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although provided by the Mormon church, this site is free to anyone and can provide a wealth of information, completely without charge.
Genealogy.com – this site has some great message boards on which to post questions, comments on your family or even others. Their search capabilities isn’t as robust as ancestry.com (AKA The Mother Lode) but the message boards are a wonderful tool.
The list is endless and the best are listed on Cyndi’s List. Once you’ve searched these sites, check out ancestry.com. To search is free and to view some records is also free, but mostly this is a paid site. To some, worth every penny.
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