How to find out who your ancestors were: ancestral roots, tests, tips and tricks

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

Many people are interested in the question of how to find out who your ancestors were. The mysterious history of the distant past of those with whom the blood is connected seduces with its obscurity. For most people, the genetic tree and the presence of aristocratic traits are of particular importance.

Family Nest

The presence of kings, princes and counts among old relatives excites and intrigues. Perhaps the neighbor is the great-great-great-grandson of Peter the Great and at the same time works as a part-time janitor. It is not so easy to find out who was among the ancestors if the grandparents did not expand on this matter, and there is no connection or opportunity to communicate with other relatives on this topic.

There are several methods to lift the veil of mystery and determine who your ancestors are.

Surname leads to clues

Surname is one of the first threads that makes it possible to unravel the mysterious goblet of related roots tangled by time. Historians are actively digging into the archives of family histories. On various sites or in specialized literature, you can find the answer tothe question is, who are your ancestors, by last name.

Dictionaries and reference books with names will help you find the clue. Numerous options suggest how to find out who your ancestors were with the help of a surname. History leads to the origins of dynasties:

• Profession of ancestors. Sometimes the surname itself speaks of who the distant relative, the founder of the family clan, was. Let's say Kuznetsov - says that he descended from the son of a blacksmith. Kravtsov is the son of a kravets or a tailor. The type of activity had a great influence on how people later began to call the family among people.
• External signs. Prominent parts of the face and physique could serve as the basis for creating a new surname: Nosov, Ushakov, Glazanov, Tolstoy, Khudyakov, Grudieva, etc.
• The names of the noble nobility were created by linking the "master" with his land, for example: Vyazemsky - the owner of the estate in Vyazma, Belozersky - the owner of the Beloozero area. Many families began to be called by a name from a geographical meaning: Novgorod, Uzhgorod.
• Animal world. Close communication with the smaller brothers influenced the name and the name of the family: Lesitsin, Baranenko, Konkov, Zaitsev, Volkov, Orlov, Voronenko, Kozlova, Kurochkina.
• The surname of a dynasty with a non-Russian sound, for example, Merzoyanov, occurred by remaking foreign names such as Merzayan, Sarkisyan into Russian manners.
• First name - last name. Some commoners were called simply by their father's name: Ivan's son - Ivanov, Peter's family member - Petrov, Sidor's descendant - Sidorov.
• Forefather from the seminary. There are surnames that have roots in the kinship of seminary ministers. Let's say the priest's children were called Popovs, Popovichs. And some dynasties were nicknamed thanks to the name of the church, the minister of which was the father of the family: Trinity, Znamensky.



• Most of the surnames came from the Christian movement. Biblical names became the material for the creation of the names of the genera: Magdalinov, Ionov, Davydov, Moiseenko, Avramov, Adam.
• National signs. Belonging to a particular nationality played a big role in the compilation of some surnames: Polyakov, Grekov, Khokhlov, Germanov.

Surname Study

The history and logical analysis of the surname will help an inquisitive person in answering the question of how to find out who the ancestors were. A simple, at first glance, surname, may have a relationship with the ancient aristocracy, or vice versa. The famous robber Lenka Panteleev chose as a pseudonym a surname that has a noble history and its own coat of arms. The desire to be a nobleman prompted Pantelkin to change his surname to a more euphonious and aristocratic one - Panteleev.

Advanced search

By analyzing the last name, everyone will be able to figure out where your ancestors come from, who they were during their lifetime, what type of activity they were engaged in. For an accurate analysis, several steps must be taken:

• Consider the surname, choose the root of the word that became its basis.
• With the help of historical reference books determine the meaning of the word, typethe activity or locality with which the word is associated. In this way, a portrait of the ancestor is drawn up, from whom the clan and the origin of the surname went.
• View the names of settlements. There are villages named after the ancient owner of the area and nearby lands: Sarmanay, Yedush, Nelyubov.
• Search for namesakes. A social network is a useful thing, with the help of which it is possible to find distant relatives. People with the same surname, especially those who live close to each other, may have common family ties. Perhaps one of them has information that will shed light on the history of the family and help you find out who your ancestors were, how and where they lived, what they did.

Getting Started

Before you know who your ancestors were, you need to take a few simple steps:

• Collect detailed information about relatives, great-grandparents. Any information will be useful: full name, date and place of birth, death, place of work, type of occupation, hobby, chronic diseases, external data.
• Religious affiliation, hobbies, world views can also be very helpful.
• Detailed study of photographs, awards, diplomas and other documents. You need to pay attention to various details.

Through analysis

Who are your ancestors - a DNA test will tell you everything. Many clinics conduct interesting research, through which people have the opportunity to learn about the history of their ancestors, family dynasty.

DNA testIt is carried out both individually with one person, and with a group of people: namesakes, relatives. Such a process helps to collect a complete picture of kinship and belonging to a particular genus.

The test is very simple. If a person wonders how to find out who your ancestors were. It is enough for him to spit into the test tube for the assembly of DNA analysis. Perhaps this spit will turn out to be the saliva of royal blood.

Subconscious to help

Psychologists advise turning to your subconscious in case of great curiosity about who our forefathers were. For such a case, there are a lot of simple psychological tests that call on their inner feelings to understand who the ancestors were, what kind of activity they belonged to.

Such tests consist of a large number of questions, focusing on the internal associations and experiences of a person with a particular quality, occupation, reaction.

In the end, the test will tell you that, apparently, a close relative of such and such a citizen was an artist, musician, writer, sculptor, artist, doctor. This data is based on the answers of the person and may not have anything to do with the truth.

Seeking the Truth

So, if you decide to seriously study the history of the dynasty, then you need to take step-by-step steps:

1. Get a notepad and a folder in which all collected information will be recorded. Since several related branches are intertwined in the family tree, it is desirable foreach family to have their own folder and notebook. Enter all available information about relatives and family members of not only yours, but also your second cousins great-grandfathers.
2. Ask the neighbors what the dead ancestors were like, how they spent their time, with what people they talked. Any factors matter: clothes, traditions, acquaintances, place of work, training.



3. Chat with relatives and namesakes. Try to find out more information about a person with the same last name, even if he is a celebrity. In social networks there is an opportunity to organize a group of "like-minded people". The society of namesakes will help to dig up more information about the dynasty of this or that family.
4. The archives of the library store data on the histories of surnames, the place of origin.

All these actions will help you understand who your ancestors are, how the pedigree was born. Perhaps knowledge about belonging to aristocratic or creative personalities will help overcome internal complexes, rethink the attitude towards oneself and other people.

Respect for one's ancestors, respect for their memory - all this gives rise to a worthy attitude to the family nest, family, to oneself.