HOLD US TOGETHER
Your family's history, one life at a time.
Pick a person. See their whole life on one line. Then open a door below to learn, find, keep, or map.
- 1. Start with your tree
- 2. Follow the hints
- 3. Search the archives
- 4. Save what you find
- 5. Turn it into their story
Where should we point you? New
Tell us the person and the question. We'll build a search plan — the right sources, in the right order — instead of a wall of websites.
Your plan is saved to the research log, so you always know what you've tried.
A life, on one timeline
Margaret Ellison · 1901–1983 · 5 records kept · 2 gaps to fill · 3 places on the map · example
Green boxes are records you've kept. Dashed boxes are gaps — the years no record covers yet.
Best next step: settle her birth year.
You have the 1923 marriage record (says 1901) and her headstone (says 1903). A birth or baptism record would decide it. Why do records disagree?
Timelines become chapters in their Life Story book — with every claim footnoted to its source.
★New to family research? Learn how it worksSix short guides — start here, no experience needed. Takes about five minutes.
The first three records to find for anyone
Their gravestone — free on Find a Grave. Gives birth and death dates, often the spouse, sometimes the whole family plot. Open Find a Grave
A census — every ten years the government wrote down who lived in every house. Free at the National Archives and FamilySearch. Open the National Archives
Their obituary — old newspapers are free on Chronicling America. It names parents, children, where they came from, and the church. The story in one paragraph. Open Chronicling America
1. Start with what you know
Write down names, dates, and places you're sure of. Guesses are fine — mark them as guesses. Then ask one question at a time: "Where was Grandma born?" beats "tell me about the Bennetts."
2. Work backward, one generation at a time
Prove your grandmother before jumping to the 1700s. Skipping a generation is how wrong people end up in trees.
3. Crack a brick wall
Stuck? Research the siblings, track the neighbors, try every spelling variant. Brick walls fall to sideways research, not harder searching.
4. Cite like a pro
Write down the record, the date, the website. A year from now you won't remember. This one habit separates a real family history from a pile of names.
5. Let maps find people
County lines moved, towns renamed, farms split. Old atlases and the then-and-now slider show you where to look when records seem to "disappear."
6. Turn finds into family stories
A census row is data. A timeline with sources is a chapter. Here's how research becomes the book your family keeps.
One more thing: ask the oldest person in your family what they remember — this week. A record can tell you a date. A person can tell you what it felt like.
YOUR RESEARCH TOOLS
1Start with your treeImport ancestors from FamilySearch, or upload a GEDCOM file.
Bring the people in first. Everything you discover later attaches to someone here.
Import from FamilySearch
Start with a deceased ancestor who is already in your tree. Living people stay out of this import.
You'll connect your FamilySearch account on the next step. You'll review every person and relationship before anything is added.
Upload a GEDCOM file New
A family tree saved as a plain text file — every genealogy site can read it. Bring one from Ancestry, MyHeritage, or your desktop software. It holds names, dates, places, and relationships (usually not your photos). Your file never leaves this page until you save it. What's a GEDCOM file?
Your tree is yours. Take it with you anytime.
2Possible matches NewRecords we found for your people — you decide what's family.
We checked the free collections for the people in your tree and found 9 possible records. Hints are guesses, not facts — you decide what's family. A similar name is not proof.
Margaret Ellison
South Dakota, County Marriages, 1905–1949 — married 14 June 1923, Turner County.
Thomas Hale
U.S. Federal Census, 1930 — Parker, Turner County, SD. Household of four.
Thomas Hale
Veterans History Project — an interview with a Thomas Hale, South Dakota.
Dismissed hints stay dismissed. Saved hints become research leads you can review, confirm, or turn into interview questions.
3Search the archivesDozens of free and paid collections, grouped by what you're hunting.
Every source says what it costs and what it holds — no black boxes. Search some collections without leaving this page; for the rest, research on their site and save the link here.
Search without leaving
These collections search right here. Your tree is never sent — only the words you type.
Library of Congress
Photographs, manuscripts, local histories.
Chronicling America
Historical newspaper pages and community news.
Sanborn Maps
Buildings and town layouts; mainly urban.
Internet Archive
City directories, yearbooks, county histories.
Veterans History Project
Interviews and accounts contributed by veterans.
Wikimedia Commons
Historic place photos and maps.
Save the attribution and license with any image.
Open on their site, save the link here
Research with your own account there — then keep the source link and your notes with the person here.
Newspapers & obituaries
+ 2 more in the full directory: NewspaperArchive, British Newspaper Archive.
Land & maps
BLM General Land Office
Original federal land patents, homesteads, survey plats.
Open BLM Land OfficeHistoric Aerials
Then-and-now aerial photographs and topo maps.
Open Historic Aerials+ 4 more in the full directory: David Rumsey Map Collection, Regrid, Old Maps Online, county registers of deeds.
Military
+ 2 more in the full directory: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Immigration
Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island
Passenger search and immigration research.
Open Ellis IslandUSCIS Genealogy
Historical immigration and naturalization requests.
Open USCIS Genealogy+ 1 more in the full directory: Castle Garden (pre-Ellis Island arrivals).
Trees & collaboration
WikiTree
Collaborative profiles and source citations.
Treat contributed claims as research leads.
Open WikiTree+ 3 more in the full directory: Findmypast, Geni, Geneanet.
International
ScotlandsPeople
Scottish statutory, census and church records.
Open ScotlandsPeople+ 9 more in the full directory, including UK National Archives, FreeBMD, Library and Archives Canada, Digitalarkivet, ArkivDigital, Archion, Matricula, JewishGen, and the Arolsen Archives.
Cemeteries
Books, directories & local history
+ 2 more in the full directory: ArchiveGrid (manuscript collections), Cyndi's List (categorized genealogy links).
U.S. archives & state collections
South Dakota State Archives
State records, photographs, manuscripts.
Open SD Archives+ 5 more in the full directory: Europeana, USGenWeb, Freedmen's Bureau records, FamilySearch catalog & wiki, and local archives, churches & historical societies.
Searches send only the words you type. Your family tree is never sent.
My subscriptions and access
Check the services you pay for, so hints and search know what you can open. This remembers your preference; it does not sign you in anywhere.
Full list lives in the directory above — check any of them here.
4Proof board NewSeparate clues from conclusions — know what's proven and what's still a lead.
Every discovery lives on one side of this board. Leads are guesses with potential; confirmed facts are ready for the book. Move items across as your evidence grows.
New leads
1930 census — Thomas Hale household, Parker SD
Saved from the National Archives. Not yet reviewed.
Newspaper wedding mention, 1923
Names father and residence. Strong clue — needs review.
Margaret's birth year: 1901 vs 1903
Marriage record says 1901; headstone says 1903.
Land patent near the family farm
Needs township map comparison before it means anything.
Confirmed facts
Marriage record — Margaret & Thomas, 1923
Original county record names both parents.
Obituary plus interview memory
Ready for timeline and life story chapter.
The tree and the book only use what's confirmed. Everything else stays here as a lead — honest, and out of the way.
5Save what you findMore than a link — save the evidence, its quality, and where it should go next.
6Research logNever search the same place twice — log the dead ends too.
| Date | Person | Searched | Looking for | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20 | Margaret Ellison | 1910 U.S. census, SD | Margaret as a child | Not there Try 1905 state census next. |
| Sep 22 | Thomas Hale | Chronicling America | Obituary, 1972 | Found Saved as a lead. |
| Sep 25 | Margaret Ellison | Turner County Register of Deeds | 1948 land deed | Need access In-person or mail request. |
7Where they livedEvery home, farm, and town — on one map, across the decades.
Their journey
- 1901 — BornTurner County, South Dakota
- 1923 — MarriedSioux Falls, South Dakota
- 1948 — FarmedNear Parker, South Dakota
Map layers
Who owned the land then
What's there now
Maps are reference aids, not surveys. Modern boundaries do not establish historical ownership. Current parcel data never proves a relative owned the land.
Researching in Turner County, SD? New
Birth records from 1905 · Marriage records from 1871 · Courthouse fire in 1899 destroyed early probate files.
Best next step: South Dakota State Archives newspapers, 1899–1920.
See the home farm from above
Order a vintage aerial photograph of the family farm or home place — the view your grandparents knew.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Good questions
What is a GEDCOM file?
A GEDCOM file is a family tree saved as a plain text file. Every genealogy website — Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and this one — can read and write it. It's how you move your tree from one place to another without typing it all again. It holds names, dates, places, and who is related to whom. It usually does not hold your photos. If you have a tree somewhere else, look for "Export" or "Download your tree" on that site — you'll get a file ending in .ged. Bring it here in "Start with your tree" above.
What is a "source," and why does everyone keep saying it?
A source is the actual thing that told you a fact: a census page, a gravestone, a marriage record, an obituary, your aunt Marie. Writing down the source is what turns a name in a tree into something your grandchildren can trust. A tree without sources is a rumor.
Why do two records disagree?
Because people guessed, misremembered, or fudged a little. A census taker wrote down what a neighbor said. A marriage license asked the bride herself. Neither is "wrong" — they're two witnesses. Your job is to decide which witness is better and write down why. Keep both records, mark the conflict, and let the stronger one win.
What is a census, and why is it so useful?
Every ten years the government wrote down everyone in every house: names, ages, where they were born, what they did. It's the closest thing to a photograph of a family on one day. U.S. census records are free through 1950. The 1890 census was mostly lost in a fire, so don't be surprised by that gap.
What is a homestead or land patent?
When the government first gave or sold a piece of land to a settler, it recorded a patent. The BLM General Land Office website has them, free, with the settler's name and the exact land. If your family farmed, this is often the oldest record of the farm — and it puts it on the map.
Can I copy a record image here?
Usually no. Most websites own the scan even though the record is old. Keep the link and your notes; the link opens the image on their site. Your own photos of your own papers — a family Bible, a deed you hold, a letter — are yours, and you can add those.
Do I need paid subscriptions to use this page?
Not to start. FamilySearch, Find a Grave, the National Archives, Chronicling America, and the Land Office are free and cover most American families back to the 1800s. Paid sites are worth it when you get stuck on newspapers or overseas records. Mark the ones you already pay for and we'll show them first.
What's the difference between a research lead and a confirmed fact?
A lead is "this might be them." Confirmed means you've reviewed the evidence and it holds up. Treat every lead as a guess with potential — never build on one you haven't checked. The proof board keeps them on separate sides until you're sure.
Will importing from FamilySearch change my tree?
No. Nothing is added until you review every person and every parent relationship and confirm them yourself. An ancestry position doesn't tell us whether a parent is biological, adoptive, step, foster, or guardian — you choose the correct kind for each pair.
Who can see my research?
Only your Family Room's owner and managers. Nothing here is public, and your tree is never sent to search providers — searches send only the words you type.
What happens to my tree if I leave?
It's yours. Download it as a GEDCOM file anytime, and export your research log and discoveries too.
What if I find something sad or unexpected?
You will. An adoption, a first marriage nobody mentioned, a child who died young. Write it down gently and honestly — it's still their story. If someone in the family would be hurt to see it, mark it private: only you and the managers you choose can see your discoveries.
Why was a hint wrong?
Hints match names, dates, and places against free collections — they're educated guesses, not verdicts. Dismiss a wrong hint and it stays dismissed; each dismissal also sharpens future matching.
⚙Administrator settingsWho can open this page, plus connection keys. Admins only.
Who can open this page
Connection settings
FamilySearch must approve this web app's production access and permitted storage before enabling real imports. Blank key fields keep stored keys. Keys are saved using the existing API Credentials service and never returned to this page.
Register this exact callback: https://holdustogether.com/api/family-history.php?action=callback
Cheat codes the pros use
Lesser-known records that punch above their weight:
- SS-5 Social Security application — order a deceased relative's original application: exact birth date, birthplace, and parents' names including mother's maiden name. (Order from the SSA.)
- Full homestead case file — the BLM patent is just the index; the complete file at NARA holds witness testimony and family details.
- Civil War pension files — affidavits from family and neighbors; often the richest document on a veteran.
- WWI & WWII draft cards — free on FamilySearch: physical description, employer, nearest relative, actual signature.
- Delayed birth certificates — filed decades later, usually with sworn affidavits from relatives who were there.
- Funeral home & cemetery sexton records — call and ask; burial cards list cause of death, next of kin, and plot owner.
- Probate final distributions — names every heir, including daughters under their married names.
- State census records — many states enumerated between federal censuses (South Dakota: 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, 1945).
- City directories, year by year — track moves annually; "widow of" entries give the late husband's name.
- Church records before civil records — baptisms and marriages often predate government registration by decades.
- USCIS FOIA (Form G-639) — the full immigration file: birth certificate copy, adoption decree, visa paperwork. Free.
- Naturalization papers — ship name, birthplace, and (later ones) a photograph.
- Census mortality schedules — people who died in the year before the census; the only record of some infants.
- Wayback Machine for dead genealogy forums — old RootsWeb and GenForum message boards are full of family info Google can't find anymore.
- FamilySearch affiliate libraries — records locked online are viewable free at local affiliate libraries.
- Browse unindexed FamilySearch collections — most records were never indexed; browsing the images page by page still works.
- Google Books full-text search — search the surname inside digitized county histories; biographical sketches name parents, spouses, and migration routes.
- Google Alerts for surname + town — passive research; new digitized items come to you.
Start at the state, then go to the county
The county courthouse is where deeds, probate, and marriages actually live. Begin with your state's vital records office and state archives, check whether your state kept its own censuses (South Dakota, for example, enumerated in 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945), then follow the record to the county clerk. The full state-by-state directory is being compiled and verified for this page.
Adoption records
Adoption records are the hardest records in genealogy. Most are sealed, and access depends on the country and the year. Start with what you already hold.
- Your adoption agency's file — contact the agency; accredited providers must retain and archive intercountry adoption files, and if the agency closed, records transfer to a custodian. Often the richest single source.
- USCIS FOIA (Form G-639) — free: the child's immigration file — birth certificate copy, adoption decree, visa paperwork, Alien Registration Number.
- State court finalization records — the U.S. court that finalized the adoption holds the decree.
- State vital records offices — amended and (in some states) original birth certificates; access law differs state to state.
- ISRR — International Soundex Reunion Registry — free mutual-consent reunion registry for adoptees and birth family.
- Adoptee Rights Law Center — free state-by-state guide to who can access what.
- Russian adoptions — the original birth record lives at the regional ZAGS (civil registry office) where the birth or adoption was registered; Russian adoption-secrecy law restricts disclosure, and in practice this usually requires a Russian-licensed attorney to petition. Russia banned new U.S. adoptions in 2013, but that does not affect access to records for adoptions completed before the ban.
More places to search
Branden's picks: USGS EarthExplorer (free — satellite and aerial imagery; land & maps) · South Dakota Historical Birth Records (free — state birth index; vital records) · Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand (free — NZ newspapers, magazines, journals).
International: Steve Morse One-Step tools · FamilySearch Wiki & Catalog · Library and Archives Canada · Canadiana · Yad Vashem · JRI-Poland · Antenati (Italy) · Szukajwarchiwach / Geneteka (Poland) · Filae (France) · WieWasWie / OpenArch (Netherlands) · Ryerson Index (Australia) · NZ BDM historical records · TheGenealogist (UK) · Forces War Records (UK).
U.S. depth: American Ancestors (NEHGS) · Godfrey Memorial Library · Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center · Social Security Death Index (via FamilySearch) · Fulton History · Elephind · Advantage Archives / Community History Archives · Tributes.com · Classmates · DeedMapper · Newberry Atlas of Historical County Boundaries · Kartenmeister / Meyers Gazetteer · DeadFred · AncientFaces · Interment.net · Linkpendium · RAOGK — Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness · FamilySearch Books.