In the Soviet Union, it was dangerous to be interested in the history of the clan and the roots of one's surname. For such curiosity, people often ended up in jail. Especially when it turned out that the ancestors were of noble origin. And now it has become very prestigious to have a family tree at home.
Instructions
Step 1
First, try to find the roots of your surname yourself. Talk to your parents, grandparents, and other older relatives. Keep a notebook and write down everything they know about their ancestors. Look for information about relatives both on the mother's side and on the father's side. When there is enough information, take a sheet of Whatman paper. At the top, write down the names, patronymics, surnames, dates of birth and place of residence of the oldest ancestors that you could find out about. Find out how many times the grandparents were married and what the names of their husbands and wives were. How many children did they have and when they were born.
Step 2
Find as much information as possible about the ancestral profession. Perhaps someone was a blacksmith, so you are the Kuznetsovs. Someone served in the army, so your last name is Streltsovs. And someone's ancestors were fishermen, and now they are Karasevs. Nicknames were also given due to the peculiarities of appearance - Ukhov, Nosov, etc. Maybe you still have this family trait.
Step 3
If there is not enough information from relatives, go to the Internet. Sites such as: https://gendrevo.ru, https://familytree.narod.ru and others will help you find out the history of the surname. Do not use the services of portals that offer to send SMS messages for registration and selection of information. These are fraudulent resources that will withdraw money from your mobile phone account and will not help you in any way. Look for sites that have lists of surnames with a description of where they came from. There is also a chance to find your distant relatives, write them a message and together continue collecting information about the origins of your surname
Step 4
When the surname is very rare, or it was not possible to find information about it, contact specialized centers. Their employees will professionally draw up your family tree, thoroughly studying the historical and archival information. In addition, they have access to data from institutions that study the origin of surnames. You will be provided with a complete reference on the history of the genus. The document will be sealed and confirmed with information from the archives. Of course, these services are expensive. On the other hand, you will have reliable information on your hands that will allow you to be proud that you have learned so much about your own ancestors.
