To find your ancestors in the Ancestral File in the FamilySearch computer system, you must at least know the full name of an ancestor. In addition, in order to confirm that the individuals described in the Ancestral File are your ancestors, you need information that can verify the relationship. For example, the birthplace and birth date of an ancestor that you already know about.

If you do not have the minimum information to find an ancestor in the Ancestral File, you can either:

Get help finding some of the minimum information by selecting one of the following items,

Name

Birth date

Death date

click the Back button on your browser to return to the list of other places where you can find previous research, or

read the paragraph below for additional tips.

Finding previous research

Contact genealogy societies in the area where your ancestor lived. They often keep lists of individuals who are researching a particular surname. You can also try leaving messages on computer BBS"s.

Make sure to check photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, and family Bibles at home. See the topic Finding information at home for more information.

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