Locating the parents and siblings of someone born in 1903?

Question

My grandfather was possibly born in Dewey, Oklahoma. I'm trying to locate his siblings and parents.

I've Googled and found the following:

Tunin, Robert T. 1903 – 1989 (Grandfather) Tunin, Abbie Alice 1909 – 1972 (Grandmother)

Any suggestions on a free resource?

Answer 1

I think your grandfather might have been born in Oklahoma.

Take a look at these records from FamilySearch. In particular, there is the marriage record between a Robert Thomas Tunin and Abbie Alice Brooks. It gives Alice's parents names as well.

UPDATED:

It looks like someone has created a relevant Tunin family tree on Ancestry.com for your family. Here is a quote from a story posted there:

In 1893, Willard Barton and Lillian May (Barney) Tunin, came from near Cherryvale, Kansas, to homestead in Dewey County, Oklahoma; in a covered wagon with two small children: Viola May, 3, and Mary Almeda, a baby. Five more children were born on the homestead, making a total of 8 children, one of whom died in infancy and was buried in Kansas. Those born in Oklahoma were: Rosa Elvira, Georgia, Gertie, Robert Thomas and Annalina. Almeda died in 1900 at age 6; Georgia in 1912 at 14 and Viola May in 1950 at 59 years.

While I haven't checked how well sourced this information is (I did not find a 1910 or 1920 census for them), it seems sufficiently detailed to have a bunch of clues to pursue.

Answer 2

Cyndi's list has some suggestions, and FamilySearch is always a good place to start. If you can provide more detail of what you've tried and already know, we can be of more help.

Answer 3

Census records and vital records would be great places to start.

The U.S. federal census was taken every 10 years, so you should be able to find your grandfather living with his family in 1910 and 1920, and then perhaps with his own wife and children in 1930 and 1940. There's a 72-year privacy rule, so the 1940 census is the latest one available. FamilySearch has most census records available for free, as well as tons of other records.

EDIT: The following info was provided when Jerry originally thought his grandfather was from Indiana. The question has since been edited to ask about Oklahoma.

You may also want to check the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center -- they have a bunch of free databases, some of which are specific to Indiana.