Tracing Your Family Name History There was a time in human history when people did not have surnames and it wasn t because they couldn t read or write. It wasn t until the 12th century when surnames began to be used in Europe. but it was only given to a few. Surnames were not much of a concern in areas where the population was smaller and people did not have a difficult time referring to one another or getting confused as to who was who. Playfully named 'Shoebox', this page lets members save records that still need confirmation or corroboration. The Shoebox page will keep the record safely until such time when the member decides what to do with it. Rootsweb.com Rootsweb.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. For other tools, these are downloadable: Timelines (personalized for your own use), dictionary for genealogy, Letter Generator (Italian Form), Relationship calculator and Converter from surname to soundex. Tools, databases, software and charts are not the only ones that are offered for free on the net. 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. These are just some of the top sites for free genealogy. You see, knowing who you are should not be a matter of choice but a matter of necessity. A person s roots could define who he is or what he could be. Whether you agree or not is not the question. The question is, are you willing to let the past remain in the dust, or are you going to dig through and use it to motivate your future? Along with every surname is the location, date, info as to how it is one could contact the particular person who sent the specific surname. This tool is what most genealogists online utilize to connect with each other as well as share info. Communicate, communicate, communicate Still, the best way to make good progress in one s research of their genealogy is through constant communication with those who is a lot experienced in terms of genealogical searches.