Where do I start???????please help?

Question:

Where do I start???????please help?

I need to find ancestors..Great great grandpa who immigrated to US from Russia in 1920s. Where do I start my search....

thank you in advance!!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: All these answers are good but I'm going to send you to a book. Unpuzzling your past by Emily Croom. She takes you step by step. I think this will be the most helpful from beginning and into years that you research.

Then start with yourself and work backward. Talk with living relatives and either write down what is said or record it for later use.

Check with your local library. See if they subscribe to ancestry and heritagequest. If they do then you can use ancestry at the library and heritagequest at home from the library homepage and your library card. With heritagequest you can use the census. You can also look at familysearch.org and rootsweb.com to see if you can find someone who is working on your line. If you do, then contact them and share info and documents. Ellis Island is another place to look. He may have come in thru there.

Visit your Local LDS Center. They can be real helpful. They can get you going in the right direction.

You might look at Cindislist.com to see if there are any links there that can help you. I just don't know if there are any Russian links online. My guess would be no but I could be wrong.

Good luck Two areas that helped me, were the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) site and the LDS Genealogy site. Good luck finding your roots. You should start by talking to your living family members to see what they know about your ancestry. From there, you can check out some online sources like usgenweb.org and rootsweb.com.

You don't say what it is you're looking for, so it's not an easy question to answer. Are you just trying to find a name? If so, then you'll want to take a look at census records and possibly order vital records (birth, marriage, death). Are you trying to find out when he immigrated? Check out immigration records, passenger lists, etc.

If you're trying to build a family tree, a subscription to ancestry.com will come in handy. Keep in mind that genealogy is not cheap. You'll have access to all census records and many other genealogical records with a subscription, but it will only get you so far. Eventually, you'll get to the point where you will need to order vital records and they can cost anywhere from $5.00 to $30.00 per copy.

If you're just looking for one person, there are message boards where people are willing to do a research exchange. That is, they will research in a certain area (e.g. where they live) if you will do research in a different area (e.g. where you live).

Good luck. I have found that the absolute best place to start is your local Mormon office.. you can call Salt Lake city and talk to the Mormons there or look it up on line.. they keep the most complete records.. call them and start there.. they are very helpful and there is no charge.. but you must promise that if you uncover information that they do not have.. then you will share it with them.. also go to the national archives in washington dc.. there is a way to look up your ancestors there also.. you should be able to find in by a search on line.. just type in imigration records 1920.. it will take you to the right source.. but start with the Mormon church.. they are terrific.. good luck Start by finding out his first, middle, and last name.

Next check which City he migrated from in Russia, and where he lived in the US.
Then start a Family Tree, Mother, Father, Grand Parents,
Aunts and Uncles, etc.Check old photos, funeral notices, passports, and old passenger records for sailings between Russia and the US..
Finally check the telephone directory and start calling the Families with your grandfather's last name. don't waste your time, it makes no difference. just start from your dad and pass the information to your minors to keep it alive for next generation.