How do i found out who my dad's parents are thus finding out my backgroind a

Question:Please help i'm 16 my dad died last year at age 62 right before my 15th birthday and i never new who his parents were my grand parents because they died way before i was born and my mom doesn't have a clue. please help and list websites i can go to i'll really appreciate it. THANX A BUNCH GOD BLESS

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Please help i'm 16 my dad died last year at age 62 right before my 15th birthday and i never new who his parents were my grand parents because they died way before i was born and my mom doesn't have a clue. please help and list websites i can go to i'll really appreciate it. THANX A BUNCH GOD BLESS

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Type "family tree" in Google and you will get a large amount of links.
Sadly, most location services want money to find the info you desire.
Although, you may find a few that will get you started for free, give it a try!

God bless

Greetings,

Depending on where your Dad died you should be able to order his death certificate which should contain his parents names. You can learn more about ordering Vital Records at http://www.vitalrec.com/ or http://www.vitalcheck.com.

If his parents names are not listed on his death certificate, you can order a copy of his original social security application which might have this information. Search for his name at http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/ and then once you have his social security number follow the instructions to order a copy of his Social Security Application.

You might consider checking the funeral home and the cemetery where he is buried, they typically keep records. If you do not know where he is buried you can locate his grave at http://www.findagrave.com.

I hope this helps and Good Luck!

Kenyatta D. Berry
http://www.discovergenealogy.com

You can't go to some website, put in your dad's name, and have his parents and family history come up for you. First of all, he lived too recently to be on any genealogical records website. Second, since you do not know who his parents were, you would not recognize if the information was accurate or not. The BEST and probably only thing you can do at this point is get a copy of his birth certificate and death certificate. His birth certificate will have his parents on it. His death certificate may give you clues to find out where he came from so you know what state to contact to get the birth certificate.

However, if he had any siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins that were about his age or older, they probably know the information you are looking for and could tell you.

Unless you put it in your question, we can't tell what country you are from. It is the most frustrating thing Y!A does. Even if you go in through Y!A Austrailia, Y!A Canada or ordinary Y!A, all the questions in English go into one big "pot". I'm in California, for instance. Most of the other answers assume you are in the US; given the time, you are probably not in the UK and there aren't enough Canadians to make that likely. You could be an Aussie up early, though.

If you are in the USA and it is worth $27 to you, you can send for a copy of his SSN application. He filled it out when he was alive. It will have his parents' names - mother's maiden name, too. Change your profile to allow e-mail and write to me via my profile if you'd like the link.

You can also try for a death certificate or obituary, but since they would ask your mother for the info, his parents would be "unknown".

If your mother didn't even know her in-laws names, be careful. She may be shading the truth to protect you from something she thinks will upset you. Tell her you are interested and ask if she has any objections. If she does, you may have to wait until you are 21, or even later.

Your father's death certificate might not be helpful if your mother was the informant and she did not know who is parents were.

Get a copy of his birth certificate. Also if you are in the U.S., get a copy of his application for a social security number. The ones I have seen so far have the names of both parents, including mother's maiden name and their places of birth.

I don't know at 62 if your father was drawing social security or not. If he was, he will probably be on the social security death index. Rootsweb and FamilySearch.org are two free sites that have the index. On Rootsweb, if you find him, off to the right, there is a link that you can pull up a letter all prepared. All you have to do is put your address on it, attach a $27 check and mail it.

The letter should go to
Social Security Administration
OEO FOIA
300 N. GREEN AVENUE
P. O. BOX 33022
BALTIMORE, MD 21290-3022

See if your mom has her marriage announcement, and their marriage certificate - those usually have the parents on it. Also look in old photo albums.

First thing you need to do is get a copy of your father's death certificate and it will list his father and mother as well as her maiden name. Then try ancestry.com search community as well as these listed. Good Luck!