How to Find Descendants in the United States

The goal of descendancy research is to find the children (and spouses), grandchildren (and spouses), and so forth of an ancestral couple. Descendancy research starts farther back in time and moves toward the present.

Motives for descendancy research. Some researchers may be motivated by a desire to contact relatives who have moved to distant lands. Some seek to show a relationship to a famous ancestor. Others may be seeking significant genealogical evidence such as the family Bible of a common ancestor. Or, they may be looking for someone to give a family heirloom such as an old photograph. Some look for possible heirs of an unclaimed rich estate in hopes of a reward. Some genealogical societies like the New England Historic Genealogical Society publish genealogical journals in a format showing descending generations. The Board for Certification of Genealogists asks applicants to submit a 3-generation research project which may be a descending line. Some LDS researchers are looking for more names to submit for temple ordinances.

Value of Descendancy Research
More names per generation. One advantage of descendancy research is the potential number of names you could find. Most families have more than two children per couple. If all those children marry and have more than two children, there is a potential to find more relatives by descendancy research than in the same number of generations of pedigree research. However, to be fair, pedigree researchers also usually research the immediate children of each couple on their pedigree. In theory, assuming each generation has exactly four children who live, marry once, and have exactly four children, in three generations, pedigree researchers would find 42 relatives (counting spouses and immediate children), and descendancy researchers would find 106 relatives. With larger families the difference can increase dramatically. This way of counting names does not change number of actual people who have lived—it only changes because of who you count as a relative.

More clues. Descendancy research can lead you to important clues, contacts, or records such as family Bibles that you might not find if you researched only direct ancestors and their immediate children. Collaborating with new contacts about the new clues you find may help you get past dead ends in your ancestral research.

Risks of Descendancy Research
It may increase the chances of an error. If the goal is to gather as many names as fast as possible, there is a risk the research and documentation will become casual or sloppy. Undue haste may result in unnecessary duplication of research and name submissions.

Also, descendancy researchers are sometimes trying to prove their relationship to a famous ancestor. When celebrity is involved, there is a greater temptation to make child to parent linkage decisions than cannot be proved.

It may be harder. Some genealogists consider descendancy research more difficult than pedigree research. This is because finding children is sometimes more difficult than finding parents. There are always exactly two parents of each child, but the number of children of each set of parents can vary widely. In many cases there tends to be more documents that are likely to name the parents of a child, and fewer documents that list all the children of a set of parents. Finding children who died young and between censuses is often more difficult than finding parents.

On the other hand, some genealogists consider descendancy research easier—an opportunity to snatch the low-hanging fruit1 by the wagon full.

No shortage of pedigree names. It is true you can find more names in three generations of descendancy research than in three generations of pedigree research. So what? There is no shortage of names for a pedigree researcher willing to go back a few more generations and concentrate on the immediate children of direct line ancestors.

Latter-day Saints have the responsibility to research and submit for temple ordinances direct-line ancestors and their children. Private extraction programs are not appropriate. Further, living children and spouses may wish to have the ordinances postponed for near relatives. Acting in conflict with the wishes of the closest living relative can result in bad feelings.2 Mass descendancy research and submissions by an overzealous distant cousin often deprive more closely related family members of the joy of contributing work on their nearer relatives.

Protect privacy and the feelings of others. When doing descendancy research please be protective of the privacy of living people. Please be respectful and considerate of the feelings of living relatives regarding their deceased ancestors.

Step 1: Prepare
Fill in a pedigree chart, or locate a pedigree chart for your family. This chart will provide some dates and places to help you get started.

Step 2: Choose a Starting Family
Do you have an ancestor about whom you are curious? Have you heard intriguing stories about a great-grandparent? Possibly you are looking for a genetic connection to a great uncle who may have had the same illness you have just had diagnosed. Many reasons may spark your interest in a particular individual or family. Regardless of how you decide, the first step is to choose an individual or family to use as the starting point.

Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind as you get started:


 * Begin with what you know. If you already know the names of your great-grandparents and approximately when and where they were married, it will be much easier to search for their descendants.
 * Begin with individuals or families alive around 1850. People who lived in the period from the mid-1800s to the present are usually easier to find. In many countries, records began to be created by the mid-1800s; that will make your search much easier. Birth and death records became more complete at that time and are more easily accessed. Some countries began to keep census records, including the names and ages of each family member. In addition, more individuals were literate by that time and kept family Bibles and journals.
 * Record what you find on family group records. On a pedigree chart, you can only trace the ancestry of one child, leaving out the rest of the children. A family group record will enable you to record information for all the children in a family, as well as for the parents and grandparents. As you search for the descendants of your ancestors, family group records will help you organize your work and compile what you find.
 * Begin with real curiosity. As you search for the descendants of your ancestors, remember to follow your heart. If you feel strongly that you need to learn about a particular family, listen to those feelings and search for that family.

Step 3: Collect Previous Research
Family history research is one of the most popular hobbies in the world today. Someone else could very well have already started gathering information about the very ancestral family you have selected. Your extended family members may have this information, or you may be able to find it in published family histories or on the Internet.

Finding family records. Immediate or extended family members can be a rich resource of information. They may have access to family Bibles, photographs, letters, and personal histories, or they may know where you can go to find these records.

Finding published family histories. Family histories are books that give genealogical information about one or more generations of a particular family. These books are often very well-researched and a great resource for finding family information. Some family histories have been poorly researched and documented, however. You should verify that the information you find in published family histories is accurate and documented.

You can often find family histories in libraries in the area where your ancestors lived. The Library of Congress and the Family History Library also have extensive collections of published family histories. 

Finding Internet information compiled by others. Internet genealogical databases are an excellent additional source. Someone may have already compiled and posted information on the ancestral family you are seeking. A quick search of a few Web sites may yield complete and well-documented research that only requires verification. You may even discover family members with whom you can collaborate. A good place to start your search for family information that has been compiled by others is www.familysearch.org. This site has several compiled databases that may help you find information, including the Ancestral File, the Pedigree Resource File, and the International Genealogical Index (IGI). 

Internet search engines. Search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, help you learn if someone has posted information on the Internet about your ancestors or their descendants. Search engines may help you find pedigree charts, family Web sites, cemetery records, personal histories, family Bibles, and so forth.

Quick Reference Chart 1 – Where to Look for Previous Research

Broadening your search. A quick review of published family histories, compiled genealogies, and resources on the Internet will tell you how much research may still be needed. For information on how to do basic research, go to How to Begin a Search for Your Ancestor.

Step 4: Consult Additional Sources
Certain records are particularly rich in descendant information. Five record types—census records, wills and probate records, county histories, church records, obituaries—generally include information about parents and children and vital information for each person listed. These records will help you identify the descendants for whom you are searching. In this section you will learn:

• What you can expect to learn from each type of record.

• Where you can find each type of record.

Census records. Many governments have taken regular censuses of their citizens. In the United States, these censuses have taken place every decade since 1790. Many census records are available in a digital, searchable format. If you have census records available, you should search them for a record of your family. This record will guide the rest of your research by placing your family in a particular place at a specific time. Census records can be searched free of charge at any Church family history center with an Internet connection.

Expert Tip :&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;  Starting in 1850, U.S. census records listed the names of each person living in the household. This census and those that followed are an effective resource for finding the names of an entire household.

Here are some hints for searching through census records:

• FamilySearch includes the 1880 U.S. census, the 1881 British census, and the 1881 Canadian census. If the family you are researching was living in one of these countries in 1880, one of these censuses will be helpful.

1. Go to FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org &gt; Search (tab along the top of the screen) &gt; Census (left panel of the screen) &gt;

2. Enter the information you know about your ancestor.

3. Click Search.

• The 1900 and the 1910 U.S. censuses were unique in that they listed how many children were born to the mother of the household and how many of those children were still living at the time the census was taken. If your ancestor lived in the United States in 1900 or in 1910, this resource may help you determine if you have identified all the children in a family.

• You can often locate possible siblings, children, or relatives of your ancestor by searching census records for individuals with the same surname. This is especially true if households with the same last name are listed next to or near each other or within one or two census pages of where your family is located.

• Women occasionally gave one or more of their male children their maiden name. You can sometimes locate children and grandchildren by using the surname of the mother as the first name when you search census records.

Wills and probate records. Some counties and states began recording wills or estate probate procedures as early as the 1600s. This practice of settling the estates of property owners became almost universal in the United States by 1900. Family wills can help you identify descendants because children were commonly listed by name. Even if your ancestor did not leave a will, a probate record containing vital information about heirs may still exist.

Wills and probate records are generally kept on a county level, so you will need to have some idea of where your ancestors died to see if they left a will. The Family History Library has a large collection of wills and probate records available on microfilm.

To see probate records available in the Family History Library, visit www.familysearch.org and follow these steps:

1. From the home page, click the Library tab at the top of the screen.

2. Click Family History Library Catalog.

3. Click Place Search.

4. In the Place field, type the name of the county where your ancestor resided.

5. In the Part of field, type the name of the state in which the county is located.

6. Look for "Probate Records" listed among the record types. Microfilms of the listed records are available in the Family History Library and can be ordered from a local family history center.

County histories.County histories also often identify families and their descendants. Thousands of these histories were compiled and published as part of the U.S. centennial celebration in 1876. Others were published to mark various county centennial anniversaries. Most histories include biographical sketches of county residents, often containing information about the subject’s children, grandchildren, siblings, and ancestors. Because a fee was often required for inclusion in a county history, not all residents participated, but many did.

To see what county histories are available in the Family History Library, visit www.familysearch.org and follow these steps:

1. From the home page, click the Library tab at the top of the screen.

2. Click Family History Library Catalog.

3. Click Place Search.

4. In the Place field, type the name of the county where your ancestor resided.

5. In the Part of field, type the name of the state in which the county is located

6. Look for "History" among the record types.

You can also call county offices directly. Many directories are available on the Internet to help you find the telephone number of a county office in the locality you are searching.

Expert Tip :  You can search for town histories as well as county histories.

'''Church records. '''Many churches kept excellent baptismal records, which usually included the names of the child’s parents. Sometimes all the children of a particular couple were identified in one set of church records. If you know what church your ancestor belonged to, obtain the microfilmed church records by using the same method described for finding town and county records.

Expert Tip :  When you look at church and other records, remember that families sometimes gave two or more children the same first name. Occasionally they gave all their male or female children the same first name, and then provided each with a unique middle name. A more common occurrence was that when a child died, the parents gave the second child the same name as the deceased child. '

To see what church records are available in the family history library, visit www.familysearch.org and follow these steps:

1. Click the Library tab at the top of the screen.

2. ClickFamily History Library Catalog.

3. Click Place Search.

4. In the Place field, type the name of the town where your ancestor resided.

5. In the Part of field, type the name of the state in which the county is located.

6. Look for "Church Records" among the record types.

You can also call a church directly. Many directories are available on the Internet to help you find the telephone number of a church in the locality you are searching.

'''Obituaries. '''By 1900, local newspapers often published obituaries containing information about the deceased’s siblings and children. Some began much earlier. Many newspapers today have archives carrying obituaries from past editions. You can quickly search to see if your ancestor had an obituary by contacting the local library newspaper archives. A telephone number for the library in your ancestor’s town may be available on the Internet. Ask the librarian how you can obtain the information or arrange an interlibrary loan. Some newspaper archives are also available on the Internet.

Many obituaries contain information about extended family members related to the person who has died. You can use print and Internet telephone directories to locate people mentioned in an obituary.

If you do not know when or where your ancestor died, you may be able to find this information in the Social Security Death Index at www.socialsecuritydeathindex.gov for ancestors who lived and worked in the United States. The index lists names of deceased individuals from the mid-1960s to the present. It provides the date an ancestor was born, when the person died, and where the person resided at the time of death. This index only includes individuals who had a social security number in the United States. Quick Reference Chart 2 – Records to Consult

Step 5: Compile What You Have Learned
Once you have learned about the descendants of your ancestors, record the information, and share it with others.

'''Record what you find. '''As you identify the members of your ancestral families, you should record the information you find. The family group record is the most universal means for recording information about parents and their descendants.

If you own a computer, you may prefer to record the information you find in an electronic database. There are many computer programs that allow you to do just that. One that is free of charge is Personal Ancestral File (PAF).

To download the latest version of this program, visit www.familysearch.org and follow these steps:

1. From the home page, click the Download PAF link located at the bottom of the screen.

2. Provide your name and e-mail address, and click Submit.

3. Follow the download instructions found on the screen.

Although PAF requires some computer experience, the program is not hard to learn. PAF includes numerous tutorials. For additional help, visit www.familysearch.org/eng/paf

Conclusion Finding the descendants of your ancestors can be rewarding. This approach to family history research will help you find hundreds of relatives you would have missed had you focused your research only on your ancestors. It might also provide the clues and information you need to get past dead ends in your search for ancestors. Descendancy research will help you locate living relatives you didn’t know about. You can collaborate with living relatives and share the workload with others. Learning about the children, grandchildren, and even the great-grandchildren of your ancestors gives you a more complete picture of your family.&lt;/div&gt;

Related Content
George D. Durrant, "Branching Out on Your Family Tree," Ensign, April 2007, 44-47.

Category:United_States

Endnotes
1. Sam Lower, "Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit," Ensign, April 2007, 46. On the Internet with the article by George D. Durrant, "Branching Out on Your Family Tree," Ensign, April 2007, 44-47.

2. A Member's Guide to Temple and Family History Work: Ordinances and Covenants (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1993), 14.