Learn More About Ancestry.com

How Does Ancestry.com Work?

Follow these simple steps to search for your ancestors and record your findings.

Start with what you know.
Family history starts with simple bits of information. Gather the names, dates and places you know or can get from documents around your house (birth and death dates and places are most helpful). You can also find valuable information by asking living members of your family what they know. Be sure to make notes, so you don’t have to find the information again later.

Search Ancestry.com.
Use the information you have gathered to search Ancestry.com’s databases. On the home or search pages of Ancestry.com you can enter the name, date and location information you gathered and search all of Ancestry.com’s databases for more information about the people you are looking for. Enter as much information as you know. Even a guess can help when you use Ancestry.com’s powerful ranked search tool.

Find the right records.
You will likely get a number of records that fit your search criteria. Use the information you know to sort through the results and to find those that match the person you are looking for. If you get too many results or if none of the results seem to help, you can refine your search by clicking on the "refine your search" link at the top of the search results page.

Add the person to your tree.
Once you have found a record for someone in your family, you can save that record or start a family tree online and easily organize the information you find, add more details or search for more information. Usually, a record for someone in your family tree reveals new information that leads you on to other members of your family. Now you can start the process over again, by entering the new information you find and searching again. Enjoy the journey!