How to find your people — and keep them forever.
Never done family research before? Perfect — this guide assumes nothing. Six steps, no experience needed, no credit card, ever.
1️⃣Start with what you know
Before you search anything, write down what your family already knows. Full names (including maiden names), roughly when people were born, and where they lived. Ask the oldest people in your family — they are your best record.
Don't worry about being exact. “Grandma Sarah, born around 1930, somewhere in Louisiana” is enough to start.
2️⃣Search the free archives
On the Ancestry page, stay on the “🔍 Search Free Archives” tab. Type in an ancestor's first name, last name, and state if you know it. Then press “Build my searches.”
A list of archive cards appears — census records, Freedmen's Bureau papers, newspapers, cemetery records, military records, and more. Click any card and it opens that archive in a new tab with your ancestor's name already filled in.
These are real, free government and library archives. You never have to pay to search them.
3️⃣Save people to your Family Vault
Click the “🌳 My Family Vault” tab. If you're not signed in, sign in first (or request free access — it takes a minute).
Click “＋ Add a person.” Enter their name, how they're related to you, their birth and death years if you know them, where they lived, and any family stories you remember. Then click “Save to my vault.”
Start with a grandparent and work backwards, one generation at a time. That's how the professionals do it.
4️⃣Save the records you find
Found something in an archive? Two ways to save it:
Quick way: on any archive card in the search tab, click “＋ Save to Vault.” Pick which person the record is about, and it's saved with the link.
Detailed way: in your vault, click a person's name to open them, then use “Log a finding.” Give the record a name (like “1920 Census — Monroe, LA”), where you found it, paste the link, and add notes about what it shows.
5️⃣Attach photos and documents
When logging a finding, you can attach a file — a photo of a headstone, a scanned obituary, a screenshot of a census page, or a family photo. Click “Choose file,” pick it from your phone or computer, and save.
Files can be up to 10 MB each. Photos, PDFs, and Word documents all work.
Your files are private. Only you can see your vault.
6️⃣Print your family record
Once you've saved a few people, click “🖨️ Print family record” at the top of your vault. It creates a clean, printable version of everything — every person, every record, every note.
Tip: in the print window, choose “Save as PDF” to keep a digital copy or share it with family. Print copies make beautiful gifts at reunions.
✊🏾 Tips for Black family research
- •Spelling was loose in old records. Try “Sara,” “Sarah,” and “Sarrah.” Try initials. Census takers wrote what they heard.
- •The 1870 census is the first to list most Black Americans by full name. To reach further back, use the Freedmen's Bureau records (1865–1872) — labor contracts, marriage registers, and bank records that name formerly enslaved people.
- •Women often appear under maiden names in early records and married names later. Search both.
- •Save everything, even “maybes.” A record that doesn't make sense today may be the missing piece next month. Use the notes field to write why you think it matters.
- •Talk to your elders THIS WEEK. Records can wait — memories can't. Save their stories in the notes field of each person.
You're an early tester 🧪
Found a problem? Have an idea? Tell us.
The Family Vault is brand new and you're one of the first people using it. If something doesn't work, confuses you, or you wish it did something it doesn't — that's exactly what we need to hear. No detail is too small.