Hmmm, did your grandparents get Social Security? (You can check for them on the SSDI - Social Security Death Index, if you're unsure.) I'm pretty sure they had to list their parents' names if they applied for that. Also, if they applied for citizenship that may also be on that paperwork (I know less about immigration paperwork, so I'm not 100% sure). Death certificates can also have parents' names, but that information is only as good as the knowledge of the person providing it (i.e. it can be wrong).
That's the main downside with genealogy...a lot of stuff is available for free these days, but there's still some potentially useful stuff that costs $$$$. Unfortunately you can't always tell if it will be useful before you shell out the dough. And I'm also annoyed that some things I spent a little bit of money on 10 years ago are now available online for free. XD A lot of US Federal paperwork will never be put online for free/ever though (like, I don't see that happening with SSN applications anytime soon), so at least you know you won't be paying $25 or so for something that will be online in 5 years.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-10-21 04:20 pm (UTC)That's the main downside with genealogy...a lot of stuff is available for free these days, but there's still some potentially useful stuff that costs $$$$. Unfortunately you can't always tell if it will be useful before you shell out the dough. And I'm also annoyed that some things I spent a little bit of money on 10 years ago are now available online for free. XD A lot of US Federal paperwork will never be put online for free/ever though (like, I don't see that happening with SSN applications anytime soon), so at least you know you won't be paying $25 or so for something that will be online in 5 years.