Use family genealogy sources in your search If you want to know more of where you came from, the best source of finding out is through members of your own family. Believe it or not, the best sources of your own search of whence it is you came from is from the very people you consider fortunately or unfortunately your family. Record for posterity s sake Any interviews you have conducted with any of your relatives is best to be captured on audiotape or on video, this is so that future family generation could actually hear the words of their ancestors the way they said it and how. Using a digital video on your shoot is the best option since there is little or no reduction in the quality of the copy. This could also give a hint on their status on the society. One needs to understand the Old English language before he can conclude what his ancestor s occupation really is. A common example is the words ostler and hostler. Ostlers tend to horses while a hostler is keeper of an inn. Another example is a shoemaker who can also be called a cordwainer . There are genealogy web sites as well as newsgroups. Store and organize all info When you think you have as much information as you could possibly gather, make group pedigree sheets that have the basic info about a wife, her husband and their kids. This is a good start when making a family tree. All in all, knowing one s family history is a tedious search that could prove to be a treasure trove of fun facts which could help you know yourself better in the now as well as in the future. Such tools that are for free are: Babel Fish Translation Program, Foreign Language Translation on the Internet, free genealogical translation, Google Language tools, Systran Translation (up to 150 words can be translated), and Xanadu. The free databases are the following: AccessGenealogy, Digital Archives (Norway), Genealogy service provided by Family Search, and Free Family Surname Search. Everyone and anyone is generally welcome to come and enter as well as use the resources available at the family history center. When are the family history centers open? Since there are more than three thousand family history centers available around the world, every center thereby determines its own opening hours.