Always begin your genealogy research with documentation of yourself. If you don't have a certified record of your birth you should obtain one as soon as possible. You may be surprised at how much information is found in the birth certificate. Most birth records contain more information than just a name and date of birth. Your mother's maiden name and the state where she was born are often recorded in the child's birth record. The father is usually named in the record and sometimes the father's place of birth is also recorded. This information is a vital foundation for tracing your ancestors.

Many certified birth records also include city, county and sometimes an actual address of the parents at the time the child was born. If any of this information is not on the birth record, you should begin your research by finding and documenting the missing facts.

Repeat this documentation process for your parents and grand parents, always keeping a "list" of missing information. Soon you will have a variety of questions waiting to be answered.

The Homestead Years

About the Author

Valorie Millican has researched and compiled the following books indexing them by name etc. Although the information about your ancestors is out there somewhere you might have to go through hundreds of rolls of microfilm to find one name. Valorie's books will save a person time and money in the search for their ancestors where they apply. The information is so vast she has said that she could not live long enough to complete the task. As far as we know, Valorie Millican is the only person on earth who is doing the tedious work of indexing these records which are lost in oceans of microfilm in locations all over the United States. She does not get paid for this important work other than the sales of these books to libraries and individuals. She prints and binds the books herself; and except for her husband who helps proof read them, she is a one-woman writer, researcher and publisher. She has currently indexed 18 tribes; (several years of select tribes.)