Anonymous
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There are many reasons to know your family history:
to have a living connection to the past, to trace your origins and roots, to be informed about vital hereditary information...
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to preserve your family history.
Creating a family tree is an excellent start to your genealogical journey.
check out this site
http://freefamilyfunds.com/genealogy.html
Eileen
And So It Begins…Starting Your Journey into Genealogy - be careful, it is addictive!
To begin your search for information you must first decide exactly what it is that you want to know (you will find this prevents a lot of work later on).
When you are happy that you have a set of basic questions, begin by asking yourself these questions. You will be surprised at what memories you can drag up if you just sit and think. Once you have made note of your own memories then you can start to lead your parents down memory lane by asking them the same questions, and more, about the family. Ask them for any details they can remember from their childhood; what family names and relationships do they remember; what aunts, uncles and cousins do they remember; what places can they remember and, if at all possible, what family occasions (baptisms, weddings and such like) they remember. If they can recall an approximate date, even better -- I’m not talking exact dates, after all how many of us forget them, but even a date +/- 10 years can give you a springboard from which to continue your search.
Also talk to your aunts, uncles, cousins, and even long standing family friends - in fact, ask anyone who may remember anything about the family – and remember to record the information!
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Oh my goodness. For some reason, I just clicked on Ancestry.com and have found out so many things about my mom and her family from Italy. You have to pay more to explore Italy, but, Ancestry.com gives you a three or four week trial period before they make you pay. -and it is 19.99/month which is reasonable when you consider all the things you learn. I found pictures of my stepgrandmother, I found pictures of my other in her high school yearbooks-pictures I have never seen. Pictures of my dad in his college yearbooks. Names of my grandparents parents....It is so amazing and interesting and I have loved every minute....
The only thing you have to do is really read carefully, because there are many names which are similar and you have to recheck dates...It is a blast.
If you are lucky enough, consult some older family members for exact names. All of my older family members have died, so I can only rely on memories and dates.
Good luck.