Digging Up the Family Tree (Without Getting Lost in the Weeds)

Knowing that I write newsletters and blogs, a few friends have asked me about writing family histories. So, I decided to dust off my old genealogy research and took another whirl through the branches of my family tree.

Over 25 years ago, when I first started, researching ancestors meant taking field trips to courthouses, libraries, and squinting at microfiche in LDS Family History Centers. These days, with websites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, millions of records are just a click away. You don’t even have to put on shoes!

FamilySearch.org home page

But don’t let the fancy websites fool you—it’s not always smooth sailing. You’d think with all this modern computer wizardry, it would be easy to track down Great-Great-Grandpa. Not quite.

For example, I typed in a very specific search:

John Doe, born July 4, 1776, in Kentucky, died July 4, 1826, in Kentucky.

Seems straightforward, right? One of Ancestry’s results:

John Deer, born July 1964 in Moline, Illinois.

Not even close – the only match was John and July – why does it give me results in different states? Different centuries? (Just kidding, but sometimes it feels like that's the result I get).

And when I try to be extra helpful by clicking the “exact match” box, I often get no results. Apparently, “July 4, 1776” isn’t the same as "July 1776.” And don’t get me started on how they flag “Kentucky” and “Kentucky, USA” as different places. Seriously?

Then there’s Find A Grave, a fantastic resource—when it cooperates. If you type in even one letter wrong, it acts like your ancestor never existed, even though their tombstone is right there in someone else’s family tree.

Sometimes it feels like spinning the genealogical roulette wheel—will this be a jackpot or will I lose the bet?

Still, despite the quirks, there’s something magical about finding a long-lost ancestor or piecing together your family’s story. I got a lucky head start with a family Bible that went back four generations and a trail of records through southern states like South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. Hubby’s family, however, landed in New York and New Jersey, where birth, marriage, and death records before 1900 might as well be written in invisible ink.

Now, most records are online (some free, some not). FamilySearch.org, run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is completely free and has a treasure trove of historical records. It even helps you build your family tree and offers tutorials—perfect if you want to dip your toes in.

Just a heads-up: this hobby can eat up your time, patience, and occasionally your wallet. Sites like Ancestry offer tools like MyCanvas, where you can turn your tree into books or posters, but be prepared—those books start around $75.

Family History page from Ancestry's My Canvas

If you don't have a lot of info on a person, you get nearly blank pages like this

There are also some lovely templates on Etsy for creating custom family history books, but they do require a bit of computer know-how (and the occasional deep breath).

Family history pages from Canva - family history template on Etsy

My biggest regret is that I didn’t start asking questions while the people who had the answers were still around. If you're lucky enough to have parents or aunts and uncles, ask them about their families now. But also, don't wait for your kids or grandkids to ask you. Record your history and what you remember about your parents or grandparents, even if it’s on scraps of paper or cell phone recordings. Whatever you do, don’t wait.

As my dad once said, “It’s not a family tree, it’s more like grass—it spreads all over the place.” He wasn’t wrong. With each generation you go back, the number of ancestors multiplies, and their siblings add even more layers.

Whether you’re a serious researcher, curious about your family history, or want to leave a legacy for your grandkids, here are a few helpful tips to get started (or keep going):

1. Find the Family Bible. Or old letters, documents, or birth announcements. Make sure someone in the family knows where these treasures are stored. One niece found two Bibles in her mother-in-law’s attic with names and locations going back to the 1700s; talk about buried treasure!

2. Note locations. City, county, and state when you record a birth, marriage, or death. Trust me, even if your ancestor has a unique name like Zebulon McSnodgrass, there are probably five others with the same name… and they all had cousins who copied it.

3. Label your photos. That sweet group picture from 1952? Write who’s in it, where it was taken, and what the occasion was. Don’t leave future generations guessing if “Grandma with hat” is on your side or someone else’s.

4. Share the research. If you or a relative has already done some digging, don’t let that work disappear in a drawer. Make copies. Share it digitally or post it on genealogy sites. You never know—someone else out there might have the missing puzzle piece you’ve been searching for.

And most of all—have fun with it. Sure, it’s frustrating at times. You’ll hit brick walls, fall into rabbit holes, and curse every John, William, or Mary born before 1850. But when you finally uncover a story, find an old photo, or learn your great-great-grandmother’s maiden name… it’s incredibly satisfying.

So go ahead—dust off the old documents, fire up your computer, and see what stories are waiting in your family tree. You might be surprised at what (or who!) you dig up.