My family always said that we had an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower, but I never knew if that was true. When I decided I wanted to trace my ancestor, I started with the obvious sources. I asked my parents, grandparents, and cousins to share any family stories and records. Some could give me specific data; some could only give me clues about how to trace my ancestor.
Then I went online and started searching for documentation of my ancestry. One resource that helped me start to trace my ancestor was the Social Security Death Index. It is available at OneGreatFamily.com, and it is a great place to start. However, the Social Security Death Index is only useful for twentieth-century sources. I needed to go further into the past.
I was lucky enough to find an elderly great-aunt who had put together a family tree. Now I could trace my ancestor all the way back to the eighteenth century. Happily, the Mayflower lines have been well-documented. They should be - about three million Americans have at least one Mayflower ancestor! Once I found the connections in the eighteenth century, it was easy to trace and verify my Mayflower ancestor.
Now I'm trying to trace another ancestor, a cowboy who may have been a cattle rustler. Trying to trace my cowboy/outlaw ancestor is taking my research in a whole new direction.
Do you have an ancestor who sailed on the Mayflower or settled in Jamestown? Maybe you also have a relative who has already started to trace your ancestors. One great place to explore and expand your family tree is OneGreatFamily.com. You can save time and make exciting new connections with other researchers who have already done the work. I traced my ancestor at OneGreatFamily.com - now you can trace yours.
