Like for an instance, if you want to find out your real ancestors way back in the 19th century, a broad research is needed from the stored photographs in your house to the era of world war 1 and 2 and so on. Some people may see it as a waste of time but the truth is it can be rewarding in the end. What you will find out is the greatest mystery. Another place to get help in the family history search, which is still, is from the census bureau. The United States as well as other developed countries has put this database online for family members to see. Obituaries are not able to tell much about a former relative. Looking in a site called USGenWeb can provide a description about the character especially if that person was quite popular. 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. com has an online guide to help you trace your family roots. It also has a site search engine, databases and a surname list where you could look up possible relatives. A useful page is their Social Security Death Index, that allows you to check for ancestors who have disappeared from public records. The main goal of Rootsweb. Once you found your ancestor s slave owner, you need to track their records to know what they did about their properties. The logic behind this is that slaves are part of the owner s property. Research on their probate records, wills, bills of sale, plantation records, and advertisements of runaway slaves from newspapers. The a-b-c s of family history genealogy search The fact of the matter is that tracing the roots of your family history is a cumbersome if not a very tedious work, yet in the long run is extremely rewarding. It is a treasure hut of sorts that could unearth plenty of rare gems. Thanks to the internet, documentation and research has never been as easy.