Press Releases

PROVO, Utah, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- You may be surprised at what you'll learn from researching your family history, according to Andre Brummer, senior
vice president of products at MyFamily.com.  (Congress has officially designated October as National Family History Month).

You can easily find out if you are one of Elvis' cousins or if your great uncle really was a cattle thief at one of MyFamily's sites at http://www.MyFamily.com, which operates a network of family history sites including http://www.Ancestry.com and http://www.Genealogy.com.

"Researching your family history may be a lot easier than you imagine," says Brummer, whose Web sites contain more than three billion records.

Brummer suggests these tips:

    *  Start with what you know. Begin by filling out a pedigree chart on paper or online.  Fill in as much as you can based on memory, then leave question marks indicating what you'll need to research.  You can download a family chart at http://www.Ancestry.com .

    *  Purchase genealogy software.  Programs such as Family Tree Maker are indispensable tools for easily compiling and organizing data.

    *  Look for records in your home.  Scour your own attic for family bibles, photographs, diaries, journals, letters, scrapbooks, legal records, baby books, and birth, marriage and death certificates.

    *  Interview relatives.  Often extended family members will be able to provide much of your missing information.  Record or videotape the interview.

    *  Search compiled sources. Previously researched genealogies, biographies, family trees and name indexes will save you a lot of time. See http://www.Genealogy.com .

    *  Pay attention to spelling.  Variations can affect the amount of information that you find.  When using Ancestry.com, try the Soundex feature.

    *  Cite your sources.  For every record you use, record the title, a microfilm or volume number and a page number.

    *  Read up on history.  Learn more about the historical background and migration patterns of your ancestors.

    *  Join a network.  Sharing your questions with other genealogists.  You can consult with genealogists at your local library or through genealogical societies, family history clubs and classes.  See http://www.Rootsweb.com.

    *  Share your discoveries.  Donate a copy of your family history to your local library or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

    For more information, see http://www.myfamily.com .