Want to find your family history but don’t know where to begin? Start with what you already have. Gather names, birth dates, marriage details, and any documents from home—IDs, old letters, photos, funeral cards. Those small items are the clues that unlock bigger records.
Next, talk to relatives. Ask older family members open questions: where they were born, who their parents and grandparents were, nicknames, towns, or even stories about migrations. Record these interviews on your phone and date them. Oral history is often the only route where written records are missing.
Follow this simple checklist to kick off your research:
Civil registry offices hold birth, marriage, and death records in many African countries, but coverage varies. Church registers—baptisms, marriages, burials—can be gold mines, especially where civil records are sparse. Visit municipal archives, cemetery offices, and local courthouses for land, probate, and court records.
Online sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage have growing African collections. Also check Africa-focused resources: national archives (e.g., National Archives of South Africa), AfriGeneas, and colonial archives in the UK, France, or Portugal depending on your region. Use alternate spellings and community names—records often change spellings across time.
DNA testing can help connect you to relatives and hint at regional origins. Use tests from major companies and upload raw results to free services to broaden matches. Remember: DNA gives clues, not certainties. Respect family privacy—ask relatives before sharing results publicly.
Language and record gaps are common. If records are in French, Portuguese, or Arabic, use simple translations or ask local researchers for help. If a town no longer exists or names changed during colonial times, local historians and older maps can help pinpoint locations.
If you hit a wall, join genealogy groups on Facebook or local clubs. Share what you’ve found and ask targeted questions—people often share tips about microfilms, church clerks, or small cemeteries you won’t find online.
Need professional help? Hire a local researcher for on-the-ground searches or an archive request. Professionals can access records not digitized and help translate or interpret old scripts.
Keep records organized, cite sources, and update your tree as you confirm facts. Genealogy is detective work—small discoveries add up fast. Start small, stay curious, and ask often. Every name you record brings you one step closer to the full story of your family.
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