How To Find Your Family Tree For Free
Adimar Poynter
Census records are full of facts about entire households. In just a few clicks, you can add whole branches of family members to your family tree, along with lots of important details about their lives.
If you'd prefer to start your research offline, our downloadable family tree template makes it as easy as can be.
With room to add four generations of your family, you can fill out this tree chart template digitally or by hand, before bringing it online to connect with a wealth of family history records.
The Library has great scans of the tree, so from my tiny phone screen I was quickly able to find my great-grandfather Thomas above the Ashe branch of the tree; he is listed with his parents, Carrie and Edward Reese.
Amar and her daughter Tab are those matriarchs. In 1735, Amar and Tab were among 188 Africans who sailed from the Gold Coast of Africa to the colony of Virginia. Upon their arrival, Amar and Tab were purchased in Yorktown, Virginia, and given the Blackwell surname.
I am a Volunteer Worker at the City of Ottawa, My name is Ashley Chabot, and I need to let you know that I am seeking a Full Time Employment with the Library of Congress in Ottawa, Ontario, via Washington DC.
Mila, I truly enjoyed this blog
So well done and I learned so much about your other grandmas family. What an awesome find. Well done granddaughter
So happy about your experience at LOC this summer.
I have just finished reading about the Blackwell Family Tree and found it very, very interesting. I am a ninety-year-old black man born and raised in a little town in Arkansas named Hope. This family tree interested me because my maternal grandmother married a man whose name I have just learned was Ulysses Blackwell. This did not come from the Blackwell Family Tree. I found it through my own research.
My maternal grandmother was born in a little town outside of Hope, Arkansas named Ozan, Arkansas. Her birth name was Pearl Snow Muldrew. Before marrying Ulysses Blackwell, she was married to John Edward Monroe for whom she bore four children. After about fifteen years of marriage John died and she later married Ulysses Blackwell. My grandmother died with the name Pearl Snow Blackwell.
Therefore, my question to whoever reads this comment is, does the Blackwell Family Tree contain all Blackwells in the colonies or just the Blackwells in Virginia? Has anyone looked into the relationships between all Blackwells or only the ones in Virginia?
I know from my little research that this is a sticky wicket, and I will appreciate any information that you may give me.
Thank you,
Bernard Moses, Jr.
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Comprising approximately 65 million searchable records, this awe-inspiring resource gives modern Americans the opportunity to examine immigration documents, find connections to their ancestry and heritage, and offer their own contributions to an ever-growing catalog of family stories.
Need help getting started? Members at the VOYAGE level and above receive one Immigration Records Search session. You will be teamed with one of our research experts to begin your genealogical journey with a virtual/remote research session. Visit our Membership page for details.
As the depository of the Federal Government's records deemed of permanent value for historical purposes, the National Archives and Records Administration houses many records that can be helpful to persons who wish to trace their ancestry. However, the search cannot be completed at NARA alone. Many other sources and depositories should be consulted. Here are suggestions about ways to go about finding your ancestors.
You are the beginning "twig" on your vast family tree. Start with yourself, the known, and work toward the unknown. Find out all the vital information you can about your parents and write it down. Then find out about your grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.
You will be concerned with pulling four key items from the many and varied documents of recorded history: names, dates, places, and relationships. These are the tools of the family searcher. People can be identified in records by their names, the dates of events in their lives (birth, marriage, death), the places they lived, and by relationships to others, either stated or implied, in the records.
The place to begin is at home. Here you can find much information in family bibles, newspaper clippings, military certificates, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, naturalization certificates, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, photographs, backs of photographs, baby books, and many other documents.
Visit, telephone, or write those in your family who may have information, particularly older relatives. More often than not, others before you have gathered data about the families in which you are interested. Write a letter, make a personal visit, or perform a telephone survey to find out about such persons and what information has already been collected. In addition to possessing vital information, family members may also know family stories that can be collected and preserved for future generations and may assist in your continuing research.
The National Archives and Records Administration maintains records that are of great use to genealogical researchers. The U.S. federal census which was taken every ten years since 1790 is a very important source and, thanks to partnerships between NARA and other organizations, all censuses taken more than 72 years ago have been made available to the public on-line. The National Archives and Records Administration also holds records documenting military service, passenger arrival, naturalization, taxation, court actions, land ownership, and much more. See NARA's Genealogy section
Every state also has their own Archives. State archives hold records of great value to genealogists. Some of these records include state censuses, military records, bounty land records, court records, prison records, and much more.
There are many records held by the individual counties in each state. Some of these include deed records, probate records, criminal and civil court records, tax records, and voting records. All of these records have the potential for being good sources of genealogical data. Such records are normally in the county courthouses although some original documents have been filmed by different organizations and can be viewed elsewhere. Often, the earliest county records or copies of them are available in state archives.
Investigate the possibility of finding genealogical data in the records of the church to which your ancestor belonged. A few churches have records of important events in the lives of members and provide valuable information for family historians.
Visit the state, regional, and local institutions in your area. Libraries, family history centers, historical and genealogical societies and non-government archival repositories are all good sources for genealogical and family history data and may hold things such as newspapers, private papers of individuals, and records of private organizations.
Hi Stefanie,
Thank you for sharing your touching family story. I would be interested in learning more about this and writing a blog to get this topic out there and receive the thoughts and opinions from others on this fascinating subject. Please email me at pkdwilln...@yahoo.com and we can work on this together. Thanks! ?
Hi Heather,
Wow! Thank you very much for sharing your family story as it is quite encouraging. Although you have PKD genes, they seem to be healthy ones. ? It is fantastic that your father is 80 and so healthy. It gives encouragement that not all of us will experience kidney failure at a young age due to this disease. I appreciate you sharing as this gives all of us a different perspective on living with PKD. Wishing you and your family the same health as your father has.
Hi Karen,
Thank you for sharing your powerful family story as it exemplifies the great impact and reality that this disease can have on an entire family. I too share your concern about the younger generations. However, I see how much medical advancement has taken place since my transplant 11 years ago and I hold onto so much hope that things are going to get much better for future generations. All my best to you and your family!
My name is Paula and I had a living donor transplant two years ago. I am the second of five siblings to receive a living donor transplant. My father and his only brother had PKD and both passed after being on dialysis for a period of time. Neither one was eligible for a transplant at the time. Out of five children in our family four of us inherited the disease. My father started dialysis at about age 55 and my uncle at about age 60. My oldest brother received his transplant at age 46 and I had mine at age 47. My younger sister is now in the process of preparing for a transplant and is looking for a living donor. She will be 48 when she has her transplant. My youngest brother is 46 and is headed towards transplant soon..maybe a year or two. I always thought we would be affected like my father and not have our symptoms begin so early but I have to remember that we inherit genes from our mother too so one never knows. We have not had any of our children tested because I value my life and would not wish to not be here. Despite PKD my life has been great and it has taught me so much about being compassionate and understanding that we cannot always see what is wrong with people on the outside. There are many days when I see others at the hospital or out in the world who have it much worse and I thank God I have PKD and not something worse. I am not minimizing this disease just recognizing that there are so many suffering with other illnesses. There will be a cure one day. Thanks to all those who are organ donors and who are living donors giving us a new lease on life.
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