In her presentation titled, "Finding Records of Your Ancestors 1870 ¿ Present," expert researcher Mary Hill provides valuable guidance for African-Americans tracing their family history.  A helpful companion piece to her lecture is a 36-page publication by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, titled "Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A: African Americans 1870 to Present." It is currently available online at the familysearch.org web site and may be downloaded at no charge. In the first section of this presentation Ms. Hill teaches that the place to begin family history research is with yourself and living relatives. She stresses the importance of oral history and family stories in guiding research, and outlines valuable sources and clues you may already have at home including family records, photographs, letters, vital records, family bibles, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, funeral programs, military records, passports, land and property records, etc. Mary F. V. Hill is a U.S. and Canada Reference Consultant at the Family History Library. She is the author of "Saga of a Southern Loyalist: William Riddle of Virginia and Northern Carolina," "Angel Children," and the "Family Roots Organizer" video series. Ms. Hill is a frequent lecturer on U.S. research methods and organizing genealogical records. She is also a proud mother and grandmother. This presentation was given in October 2006 at the 28th Annual Afro-American Historical Genealogical Society, Inc. conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.