Rummage Through the Attic
Genealogy is all about clues, and many of the best clues can be found without leaving home. Generations of family “stuff” await your discovery in attics, basements, drawers, and closets. Take a good look through your house. Most people have at least a few official documents in their home, such as birth certificates, passports, report cards, military discharge papers, or marriage certificates. Look for these and other records that might provide names, dates, and locations. But don't stop there! Pull out your family photo albums and scrapbooks. Look for old letters, newspaper clippings, and family memorabilia. Anything from your past is fair game. Label everything you recognize and add any new information to your research log or journal and your family tree.
Family memorabilia that has escaped the family home can sometimes be found online. The National Genealogical Society (
Even if you can find no real genealogical treasures in your own home, you might be surprised what lurks in the homes of your relatives. They may be surprised too! Family history can be found in unusual places — the hem of a quilt, the back of a photo, a locket inscription. Photos and albums help match names with faces. If pictures aren't labeled, ask your relatives to help you with identification. Family bibles often contain information about marriages, births, baptisms, deaths, and other important family events. Letters and postcards may be filled with family news and stories, and the date and postmark may provide clues as to where your family lived at a given time. If your family has been in the same home for generations, even the walls can talk. You may find notes recorded on the inside of closet doors, growth charts penciled on the walls, or old newspapers used for insulation in the attic. Ask your relative if they will agree to go through their house with you, as this allows you to easily ask questions about anything you find. If this isn't possible, however, here are some things you might ask your relative to look for:
Important papers (birth certificates, wills, naturalization documents, titles, and deeds)
Pictures, photo albums, scrapbooks, baby books
Newspaper clippings
Bibles
Letters and postcards
Diaries and journals
Books (check for inscriptions)
Funeral and mass cards
Family trees
School papers, including report cards and yearbooks
Awards and certificates
Quilts, samplers, or other needlework
Jewelry (check for inscriptions)
Your relatives may be understandably reluctant to let precious family records or mementos out of their possession, so consider bringing a portable scanner and a laptop with you on your attic hunt. A good digital camera can also do the trick. This way you'll have digital copies of everything for your records, and to easily share with the rest of the family. Take good notes, and transcribe any documents in case your pictures or scans don't turn out as well as expected.
