Many people are interested in the question of how to find out who your ancestors were. The mysterious history of the distant past of those with whom blood is associated, seduces with its obscurity. For most people, the genetic tree and the presence of aristocratic features are of particular importance.
Tribal nest
The presence of kings, princes and counts among old relatives is exciting and intriguing. Perhaps the neighbor is the great-great-great-grandson of Peter the Great and at the same time works as a part-time janitor. It is not so easy to find out who was among the ancestors if grandparents did not extend to this subject, and there is no connection or opportunity to communicate with other relatives on this subject.
There are several methods to open the veil of mystery and determine who your ancestors are.
Surname leads to a solution
The surname is one of the first strings, which makes it possible to unravel the mysterious cup of time-related roots. Historians are actively delving into the archives of family stories. On various sites or in specialized literature, you can find the answer to the question of who your ancestors are by name.
Dictionaries and directories with names will help you find the clue. Numerous options tell you how to find out who your ancestors were with your last name. History leads to the origins of the emergence of dynasties:
- Profession of the ancestors. Sometimes, the surname itself speaks of who the distant relative, the founder of the family clan, was. Suppose Kuznetsov says that he descended from the son of a blacksmith. Kravtsov - the son of a Kravets or tailor. The type of activity had a great influence on how the family was subsequently called among people.
- External signs. Outstanding parts of the face and physique could serve as the basis for creating a new family name: Nosov, Ushakov, Glazanov, Tolstoy, Khudyakov, Grudiev, etc.
- Surnames of the noble nobility were created by linking the "master" with his land, for example: Vyazemsky - the owner of the estate in Vyazma, Belozersky - the owner of the Belozero locality. Many families began to be magnified by a name from a geographical value: Novgorod, Uzhgorod.
- Animal world. Close communication with smaller brothers influenced the name and family name: Lesitsin, Baranenko, Konkov, Zaitsev, Volkov, Orlov, Voronenko, Kozlov, Kurochkin.
- The surname of a dynasty with a non-Russian sound, for example, Merzoyanov, occurred by remaking foreign surnames such as Merzayan and Sargsyan in the Russian manner.
- First Name Last Name. Some commoners were simply called by the name of their father: Ivan's son, Ivanov, a member of the Peter's family, Petrov, a descendant of Sidor, Sidorov.
- The forefather of the seminary. There are surnames having roots from the kinship of the ministers of the seminary. Suppose the children of the priest were called Popovs, Popovichs. And some dynasties were nicknamed thanks to the name of the church, whose servant was the father of the family: Trinity, Znamensky.
- Most of the surnames are due to the Christian movement. Biblical names became the material for the creation of the names of the clans: Magdalen, Ion, Davydov, Moiseenko, Avramov, Adam.
- National signs. Belonging to one or another nationality played a large role in the compilation of some names: Polyakov, Greeks, Khokhlov, Germanov.
Learning a surname
The history and logical analysis of the surname will help an inquisitive person in answering the question of how to find out who the ancestors were. A simple, at first glance, surname can be related to the ancient aristocracy or vice versa. The famous robber Lenka Panteleev chose a surname with a noble history and its own coat of arms as a pseudonym. The desire to be a nobleman prompted Pantelkin to change his surname to a more harmonious and aristocratic Panteleev.
Advanced Search
By analyzing the surname, everyone will be able to figure out where your ancestors came from, who they were in life, what kind of activity they did. For an accurate analysis, several steps must be taken:
- Consider the surname, choose the root of the word, which became its basis.
- With the help of historical guides determine the meaning of the word, type of activity or the area with which the word is associated. Thus, a portrait of the ancestor is compiled, from which the clan and the origin of the surname went.
- View the names of the settlements. There are villages named after the ancient owner of the area and nearby lands: Sarmanai, Yedush, Nelyubov.
- Search for namesakes. A social network is a useful thing, with the help of which it is possible to find distant relatives. People bearing the same surname, especially those living close to each other, may have common kinship ties. Perhaps one of them has information that will shed light on the history of the family and help to find out who your ancestors were, how and where they lived, what they did.
Get down to business
Before you find out who your ancestors were, a few simple steps are required:
- Collect detailed information about relatives, great-grandmothers, great-grandfathers. Any information is useful: F. I. O., date and place of birth, death, place of work, occupation, hobby, chronic illness, external data.
- Religious affiliation, hobbies, views on worldviews can also be very useful.
- A detailed study of photographs, awards, diplomas and other documents. It is necessary to pay attention to various details.
Through analysis
Who are your ancestors - DNA test will tell in more detail. In many clinics, curious studies are conducted with the help of which people have the opportunity to learn about the history of their ancestors, the family dynasty.
A DNA test is carried out both individually with one person, and with a group of people: namesakes, relatives. Such a process helps to collect a complete picture of kinship and belonging to a particular genus.
The test is very simple. If a person wonders how to find out who your ancestors were. It is enough for him to spit in a test tube for the assembly of DNA analysis. Perhaps this spit will be the saliva of royal blood.
Subconscious mind to help
Psychologists advise turning to your subconscious in case of great curiosity about who our forefathers were. For this case, there are a lot of simple psychological tests that call on your inner feelings to understand who the ancestors were, what kind of activity they belonged to.
Such tests consist of a large number of questions that focus on the internal associations and experiences of a person with a particular quality, occupation, reaction.
Ultimately, the test will tell you that, apparently, a close relative of such a citizen was an artist, musician, writer, sculptor, artist, doctor. These data are based on human responses and may have nothing to do with the truth.
In search of truth
So, if you decide to seriously take up the history of the dynasty, then you need to take step-by-step steps:
- Make a notebook and a folder in which all the collected information will be recorded. Since several related branches are intertwined in the family tree, it is advisable for each family to have its own folder and notebook. Enter all available information about relatives and family members of not only yours, but also second-cousin great-grandfathers.
- Ask the neighbors what the dead ancestors were like, how they spent time, what kind of people they talked to. Any factors matter: clothing, traditions, acquaintances, place of work, training.
- Communicate with relatives and namesakes. Try to find out more information about a person with the same last name, even if he is a celebrity. In social networks, it is possible to organize a group of "like-minded people." The namesake community will help to gather more information about the dynasty of one or another family.
- The archives of the library store data on the histories of surnames, the place of origin.
All these actions will help to understand who your ancestors are, how the genealogy was born. Perhaps knowledge of belonging to aristocratic or creative personalities will help to overcome internal complexes, to rethink the attitude towards oneself and other people.
Respect for their ancestors, respect for their memory - all this gives rise to a worthy attitude to the clan nest, the family, and to oneself.