It boasts of 1.8 billion names so far and offers resources for genealogy searches. Learn more about genealogy through their Learning Library, check out other family trees and browse through historical records online. You can search for surnames at no cost, although you'll need an online subscription to take a look at other family trees. Just like what mentioned earlier, the slave Africans came from Africa as a form of slaves to American owners. Find any records about slave advertisements and slave sales which may you enough clues on how the slavery originated. The last and final step in tracing your ancestor is to consider the Caribbean. Names like these are patronymic, meaning they are derived from the father or a male ancestor, although some surnames are taken from mothers. Through residence or geographical location. Also referred to as topographic surnames, these names are derived from an individual's place of residence. For example, John of the hills, John from the river, John from the woods. This may sound morbid but the person can even do some research by looking at the obituaries. This is because the date of birth and death is like a paper trail and this can used to get in contact with long lost relatives. Those who are unable to get that much information can try checking the online death record index or Social Security Index. Search pictures and photos It is also helpful if you go and search through family picture albums, especially the old ones. Do not forget to check any writings at the back of the pictures to see if noted there are dates or details. Looking at photographs that have been framed is also a good idea. Usually, there are obit notices that are stored at the back of picture photo frames. The fact of the matter is that these centers are branches of the family history library of the Latter day Saints which is considered as the main and central repository for a lot of genealogical info the Church missionaries were able to collect. The purpose of the family history center is to help eliminate any need to have to travel to Utah, Salt Lake City just to use the collection records.