Template:AR Goal Parents

Here are a few tips for learning the names of a person's parents:


 * Why?
 * Many types of records were created around a person's death
 * Death related records usually give birth and marriage information, clues leading to parents
 * Later records typically provide more information and clues
 * Death certificates ask for names of parents
 * Obituaries usually identify the parents


 * Tip: Search marriage records for your ancestor
 * Why?
 * Marriage records often give names of parents
 * The records usually exist from the time the county was formed


 * Tip: Find your ancestor in every census taken while he/she was alive
 * Why?
 * They may live with or near relatives
 * Relatives, such as parents, brothers, sisters, an aunt, or uncle, may live with them
 * Censuses 1880 and later tell the state or nation where the father and the mother were born


 * Tip: Use Probate records
 * Why?
 * Wills and other probate records often give married names of daughters
 * Online or published indexes provide every-name searches
 * These records were kept from the time a county was formed


 * Tip: Search records of your ancestor's siblings
 * Why?
 * Brothers and sisters had the same parents. Their records may have your answer
 * They or their children may have compiled a genealogy and included it in a local history or a genealogy database

Click for more tips

Articles About Finding Parents

 * United States Adoption Research
 * How to find descendants (Also helps with finding parents.)