As the Mechanics’ Institute Ancestry.com instructor, I am often asked how to search and read genealogical records that are in our ancestors’ native tongue. Most of us do not speak or read the language of our ancestors so it’s a challenge. My own ancestors are Italian. I did not know how to translate terms such as birth, death, etc. until I found a few wonderful resources that make it very easy.
The Learning Center at familysearch.org has hundreds of free online courses for countries ranging from Argentina to Wales at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Subjects covered range from birth, marriage and death records to town records. Formats include audio, interactive slides and videos. Languages range from Chinese to Swedish.
Print resources include Finding Records of Your Ancestors available for $4.50 each for:
- African American
- Denmark
- England
- Finland
- France
- Iceland
- Italy
- Norway
- Sweden
Available from store.lds.org. These booklets contain rich content telling you which types of records are available to search, detailed maps of regions/provinces of a country, words to use, etc.
Another valuable source is the free online (and in person) resources from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The Family History Research Wiki has hundreds of resources on countries from around the world that will lead you to rich resources to flesh out your family tree.
