Several answers to the question of how to find out who my ancestors were

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today we know almost nothing about our ancestors. Many do not even know anything about their great-grandparents, not to mention more distant connections. But such information is very important and interesting. But not everyone knows how to find out who my ancestors were and where to find such information. This article will tell you where to start looking.

How to find out the pedigree by last name

The surname will help determine the estate, profession, distinctive features or place of residence of the ancestors. Surnames were not given just like that before, but were assigned in connection with certain characteristics.

For example, the names of birds or animals could form the basis of the surname:

• Voronins.
• Zaitsevs.
• Bykovs.
• Kozlovs, etc.

Also, the surname could be given in accordance with the occupation:

• Plotnikov.
• Rybakov.
• Kuznetsov.
• Melnikov.

Often the surname was given by the name of the father:

• Ivanov.
• Vasiliev.
• Fedorov.

The surname could be determined by territorial features:

• Donskoy.
• Karelin.
• Siberian.

Personal features could also influence the choice of surname:

• Nosov.
• Shcherbakov.
• Ryzhov.

Played a role and nationality:

• Tatarinovs.
• Polyakovs.

Priests and clergymen were often given surnames after the name of the Orthodox holiday:

• Trinity.
• Preobrazhensky.

Surnames could change when the field of activity changed.

Thus, the surname can give a lot of clues, but only this knowledge will not be enough. How to find out who my ancestors were, the family archive (documents, photographs) will help, you can also talk with the older generation (grandparents).

It is important to systematize all the information received. For starters, it can be personal cards for each with all the information and attached photos. But as more people are explored, more and more people will arrive, and it will become more and more difficult to keep written records. In this case, you can use electronic databases such as Access, Excel or specialized programs - Genbox Family History, Genopro, Ages, Tree of Life.

Various sources to study your pedigree

Where can I find out about my ancestors if there is not enough information in the family archive? In this situation, special useful online services will come to the rescue. Of course, inOn the Internet, it is very easy to stumble upon scammers who, for a fee, offer to compile a family tree. But there are specialized resources that look for matches with information from other users and help create this very tree.

There are several such services:

• Israeli site MyHeritage. It structures information, distinguishes faces in photos, and has more than 60 million users. Of the minuses of this site, not quite high-quality Russification can be noted.
• FamilySpace. This resource helps to arrange a family tree using city directories, address books, various lists, according to census results, etc.
• www.obd-memorial.ru. This site contains a lot of information about WWII soldiers who died in the war and are missing. Here you can find out the date and place of birth, place of residence, awards and some other information by last name.
• www.vgd.ru. This site contains interesting information on genealogy, gives practical advice on working with archives. There is also a huge well-developed database based on federal, departmental and regional archives.
• www.shpl.ru This is the website of the State Public Historical Library. There is a lot of information here from the pre-revolutionary era.

How to find out who my ancestors were, perhaps in the archive. And, you can do it completely free of charge. The main thing is to be patient, because this process takes a lot of time. Here it is important to correctly compose a request so that the archive staffcould answer it.

How to find out the nationality of ancestors

Today's latest technologies allow you to learn a lot about your ancestors: their nationality, ethnicity, place of residence, possible place of emigration, etc. This can be done using a DNA test.

It's no secret that all genetic information is stored in DNA. Special DNA tests made in the laboratory make it possible to determine the origin of the genus with the highest accuracy, and geneticists will give a detailed conclusion about this.

As a conclusion, we can say that if you wondered how to find out who my ancestors were, then various sources will help answer it, the main thing is to be patient and systematize this information correctly.