Genealogy:Finding Your Roots Research: Tips and Resources for Genealogy Research

       Step 1.  Write down what your family already knows about your ancestors.

•  Record as much as you know about  the names, dates, and places about yourself, your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents on a family chart. If you do not know exact dates and places, estimate them. Always use pencil when filling in genealogy charts, so you can easily make corrections.

        Step 2. Review your family chart and decide what you want to research first.

•  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.

  Step 3. Select resources to search.

• Most public library systems have a subscription to Ancestry Library Edition and also to HeritageQuest., including the Volusia County Public Library.

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.)

• .There are also a number of free resources on the Internet. Here are several helpful sites :   
  • FamilySearch.org
  • Findagrave.com
  • Start Your Genealogy Research (National Archives) 
  • Worldcat.org - searches many library catalogs at one time for newspapers, family Bibles, cemetery and burial archives, microfilm, digitized local records, and more.
    • Search tips for using Worldcat.org for genealogy research
  • Blank Census Sheets
• Additional resources and more tips on searching can be found on the African American Introduction  page on the FamilySearch.org website.

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.

• Database is always available for remote users.
• Your user name is your public library card number. DO NOT enter a PIN code or password if prompted.