Mission:
Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to find Babe Ruth in at least six separate record collections at Ancestry.com, including one record with a copy of his signature. To get you started, we’ve included a short biography of Ruth's life (wouldn’t it be nice if we could provide a short biography of each of your ancestors, too?).
You'll want to search the Historic Newspaper collection, the U.S. Census collection, and the SSDI (Social Security Death Index). However, to complete your goal, you'll also need to look for family trees and through military records. Be crafty in your detective work—Ruth could be particularly elusive at times, as is evident in the 1920 census.
After you find Ruth at least six separate times at Ancestry.com, you can check your answers at and see just how great a genealogical sleuth you really are.
Babe Ruth Bio:
George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr., was born February 6, 1895, at 216 Emory Street in Baltimore. From humble waterfront beginnings he would become the most famous athlete of all time, baseball's greatest star.
Babe produced dozens of Major League records, the most famous being his 1927 single-season home run total of 60 and his lifetime home run mark of 714. Although the records have been broken, the Babe remains the unqualified home run king of baseball in the minds of everyone who follows the sport.
Babe Ruth retired from baseball in 1935. He died of throat cancer in New York on 16 August 1948. Babe is buried at the “Gate of Heaven” cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.
Looking for George Herman "Babe" Ruth at Ancestry.com? From the Ancestry.com homepage, select the Search Records tab and choose one of the following databases:
U.S. Federal Census:
1900 Census
1910 Census
1930 Census
Tip: Look at Babe’s biography and use the information provided to help guide your search. You may find Babe Ruth living with his parents in Maryland, as a student at St. Mary’s Industrial School, or, later, living with his in-laws in New York City. Try his name "George Herman Ruth," as well as "George Ruth," or even “Babe Ruth.” And note—if you can find the ever-elusive Bambino in the 1920 Census, please drop us a line (contact information follows) and let us know. And realize that you’re a far better detective than we are.
Historic Newspapers collection
Numerous entries. Search George Ruth, George Herman Ruth, and Babe Ruth.
Birth, Marriage, & Death records
Select the Professional Baseball Players 1876–2004 database.
SSDI (Social Security Death Index)
Search George Herman Ruth; include death year—1948.
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918
Search George Herman Ruth.
Find a Babe Ruth mention that we missed? Let us know at editoram@ancestry.com.
Ancestry Magazine
