The said character will have its specific pinyin pronunciation then you can look on the alphabetized pinyin spelling just like the ordinary English dictionary. This is jus a brief overview of the enriched tradition in Chinese characters. A lot of books with regards to the genealogy and dictionary of Chinese characters are now out in the market. They could also be found in bookshelves. Look through stuff Checking behind mirrors that are old and worn could also lead to unexpected family genealogy discoveries. Look for any messages that may have been taped. Tell family what you are up to Visiting or calling relatives is a good idea as they could be more than willing to help in your search. These documents could include birth certificates, marriage certificates, deeds, journals, baby books, pictures, naturalization papers, wills. The library is the best option to see and view old documents. The library is the best resource for obituaries, biographies, news clippings, etc. Ask the librarian, they could help you in your search. What they could give you is a thorough orientation about the family history center, answer any or all of your questions with regards to research (the expertise of each family history center staff varies), assist you in your use of the family history center resources as well as help you in ordering microfiche and microfilms from the family history library. The same can be done if the place where the relative worked was in a church or in a hospital since most of these organizations usually have a website that feature its history and current projects. If the specialized websites were not that successful, another thing worth checking out is Ancestry.com. This has information way beyond the first world war especially when a lot of immigrants left Europe in the hopes of something better in the new world. Look at family Bibles, birth, death and marriage certificates, diaries, letters, military certificates and scrapbooks. Don t ignore the family photo album. Useful bits of information can be gathered from the back of photographs. Check if there is someone in your family who is currently building your family tree.