How-To Find Your Roots

TL;DR

You can find your roots by gathering family details, then searching Ancestry Library Edition for free through the Terra Santa library website with your library card number. Start with ancestors’ names, birth dates, and birthplaces, check name and spelling variations carefully, and filter results by sources such as family trees. Read on for the exact access and search steps, plus ways to get help from Ramona.

Transcript

hi my name is Ramona and I work at the Terra Santa library we're here today to discover how to find your roots not everybody knows that you can use ancestry.com the very very popular genealogy website for free at the library anytime except right now because the library isn't open but because we're closed you can use ancestry.com for free in your ow... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥶 Ancestry.com can be accessed for free at the Terra Santa library, allowing individuals to explore their family history.
• 🥶 Gathering detailed information about ancestors from older and younger family members is crucial for successful genealogy research.
• 👪 Ancestry.com provides various sources of information, including family trees, to help in tracing family lineage.
• 🥺 The Terra Santa library offers genealogy workshops, led by Ramona, to support individuals in their family history research.
• 😃 Keep an eye out for variations in spellings and names when using ancestry.com to ensure accuracy in finding the correct person.
• 👨‍🔬 Ancestry.com's filtering options can help narrow down search results to specific categories, such as family trees.
• 📚 When the library is closed, ancestry.com can be accessed for free from the comfort of your own home using your library card.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can you find your family roots using Ancestry.com for free?

Access Ancestry Library Edition through the Terra Santa library website and enter your library card number. Before searching, gather your ancestors’ names, birth dates, birthplaces, and any other available family information.

Q: What information should you collect before researching your ancestors?

Collect names, dates of birth, birthplaces, and any other known details about your ancestors. Ask both older and younger family members, because they may remember useful information or interesting family stories.

Q: How do you access Ancestry Library Edition through the library website?

Start at the San Diego Public Library website, go to the library section, and scroll to History and Genealogy. Select Ancestry Library Edition, then enter your library card number to continue.

Q: How do you begin searching for an ancestor on Ancestry.com?

Enter the person’s name and any known birth information, such as the birthplace and year, and then select search. Ramona demonstrates this with her father’s name, Detroit, Michigan, and the year 1931.

Q: How can you identify the correct person in Ancestry.com search results?

Review each result carefully because similar names and spelling variations may appear. Ramona’s example includes results for Orrin W. Hopkins, Oran W. Hopkins, and Everett W. Hopkins, so the surrounding details must match the person you want.

Q: Can Ancestry.com search results be filtered by source type?

Yes, the results can be filtered by different categories. Ramona highlights family trees as a particularly interesting category and opens a posted Hopkins family tree containing a picture of her father.

Q: Can you use Ancestry.com from home through the Terra Santa library?

Yes, the library made Ancestry.com available for free at home on a personal device while the library was closed. Access still requires going through the library website and entering a library card number.

Q: What genealogy help does the Terra Santa library provide?

Ramona leads monthly genealogy workshops at the library when it is open. The library’s Facebook page provides updates, and people can also contact Ramona by telephone or email with questions or discoveries.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ancestry.com can be used for free at the Terra Santa library to find your ancestors' information and create a family tree.

• Gather as much information as possible about your ancestors, including names, birth dates, and birthplaces, from older and younger family members.

• To access ancestry.com at the library, visit the library's website, go to the history and genealogy section, and enter your library card number.