Decide what information you want to find first. You may want to find a missing piece of information about one of your grandparents, for example. You will also want to verify the information that you have already written down -sometimes the information you were told by a relative may be incorrect.
If you can't find a record for a person, say the person's name aloud and write down the various ways the name could have been written and search using these variant spelling(s). Census, and often other offical records, were filled out by an official, not by your family member. The recorder may have misspelled the family member's name.
Ancestry Library Edition includes records from the United States Census; military records; court, land, and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists, and more! These collections are continuously expanding, with new content added every business day. (Searching available in the library branch. (Remote access from home for public library card holders, temporarily available during the worst part of the COVID crisis, has been discontinued by the publisher.)
HeritageQuest is another genealogy database that is available from most public libraries. ((Searching available in the library branch or remote access is available for public lbrary card holders.)
At www.Familysearch.org users can register and begin by creating a free digital family tree online that can be edited at any time. See example below:
The 5-Generation Family Tree printout and the Family Group Charts are also recommended for documenting family members prior to inserting information into the digital family tree at www.Familysearch.org. They are available for download from Ancestry.com Family Tree Charts and Forms
Family Group Chart:
To remotely access some of the databases, a user must have a Volusia County Public Library card.
2. Ancestry
3. Fold3
4.Public library cards are free for college students, with proper ID (photo ID with address and college ID), who attend a college in Volusia county. https://volusialibrary.org/
5. Call ahead to check hours and availability of computers (unless you bring your own device)