Re: Hi there!
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In reply to:
Hi there!
John Crane 8/13/11
John,
Try to get copies of their death certificates. That should tell where they were born and give the names of their parents. Your grandfather's birth or death certificate will provide information about your great-grand parents. Your great-grand parents' birth/marriage/death records or certificates may provide information about your great great-grand parents. You can work back one generation at a time. Census records can help you go back about 150 years. Your local library may have the census on microfilm.
Then you can go to Ancestry, Roots-web, or The Family History Center to see if other researchers have posted genealogies that include your ancestors. There are many descendents of Jasper Crane (ca 1599-1681), founder of the Crane Family in NJ.
When you can no longer locate records of vital statistics, you can search State Archives for wills and property deeds that mention your ancestors.