Researching Henrietta Lacks
Investigate the background of Henrietta Lacks using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 5 people with the Lacks surname? In that year Lacks was ranked number 3574 for popularity in the UK. |

The name Henrietta means "Feminine form of HENRY - ruler of the home" and is of German origin.
Records of Henrietta Lacks on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Henrietta Lacks in your family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for Henrietta Lacks. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for Henrietta Lacks. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for Henrietta Lacks. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for Henrietta Lacks. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for Henrietta Lacks. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. If you are lucky then you may find some previously undiscovered Lacks ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Lacks Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for Henrietta Lacks and the Lacks Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Lacks Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources below you will be able to find a birth record and, from that, a birth certificate can be ordered which lists the names of the mother and father, taking you back another generation in your tree. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Lacks family tree.
Search Parish Records for Henrietta Lacks at Find My Past.
Investigate for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of Henrietta Lacks using the FreeBMD database.
Check out Genealogy Bank for Henrietta Lacks records.
Check out MyHeritage for Henrietta Lacks information.
Study the LDS Database for records about Henrietta Lacks.
Research the Lacks surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Lacks Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 8 people with the Lacks surname in the UK? Lacks is now ranked number 4034 for popularity in the UK. |
Lacks Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Explore the WikiTree database for user contributed records for Henrietta Lacks.
Study MyTrees for information on the Lacks family and people looking to contact living Lacks relations.
Study One Great Family for Lacks records submitted by people who are already researching the Lacks Family Tree.
Find Henrietta Lacks from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Lacks Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Lacks surname using Genealogy.com forums .
Miscellaneous Lacks Databases
Look at the Ellis Island Database for information on Henrietta Lacks. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day.
Lacks was the unwitting source of these cells from a tumor biopsied during treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., in 1951. These cells were then cultured by George Otto Gey, who created the cell line known as HeLa, which is still used for medical research. As was then the practice, no consent was required to culture the cells obtained from Lacks's treatment. Consistent with contemporary standards, neither she nor her family were compensated for their extraction or use.
Even though some information about the origins of HeLa's immortalized cell lines was known to researchers after 1970, the Lacks family was not made aware of the line's existence until 1975. With knowledge of the cell line's genetic provenance becoming public, its use for medical research and for commercial purposes continues to raise concerns about privacy and patients' rights.
Source: Henrietta Lacks, Wikipedia, The Free EncyclopediaOther names that sound a bit like Lacks
Family names can get corrupted over time, particularly where literacy was not as good. The following list contains some names that have similar sounds so you may want to also look at one or two of the more likely possibilites.
Laack Laakko Laase Laccohee Lace Lacey Lach Lachay Lachey Laci Lack Lackey Lackeye Lackie Lacko Lacksz Lacky Lacy Laczko Laga Lage Lagge Lago Lagow Lagoy Lague Lahaise Lahocki Laiche Laise Lajoie Lake Lakea Lakeway Lakey Lakie Laks Laque Las Lasch Lasci Lasco Lascy Lash Lashua Lashway Laska Laske Laskey Laski Laskie Lasky Lass Lassa Lassey Lasso Latch Latchu Lau-chu Lauchu Lauck Lauga Laugee Lauks Lausch Laushway Lauwick Laux Lawes Laws Lawse Lawshae Lax Laxe Layus Lazo Leach Leacy Leag Leagge League Leak Leake Leakey Leakie Leaquee Leas Lease Leasia Leask Leasy Leaugeay Lech Leck Leckey Leckie Lecko Lecky Ledgeway Leece Leech Leege Leek Leeka Leeke Lees Leese Legg Legge Leggio Leggs Leguay Legue Leguey Lehoczky Leich Leick Leija Leijs Leis Leisch Leise Leisey Leisk Leiss Leisso Leissow Leisy Leisz Leitch Leitche Leix Leize Leja Leksa Lequia Les Lesa Lesch Lesh Lesho Leske Lesko Leso Less Letch Leuck Leus Leuze Leweke Lewicki Lewis Lewk Lewsey Lewsie Lewsy Lewzey Lex Lexa Lexo Lexow Leyck Leyes Leys Lias Lich Lick Lickey Licki Licko Lico Lidgey Liegey Lies Liese Lieske Liess Liesse Ligoe Lijka Like Lique Liquia Lis Lisa Liscio Liscoe Lise Lisee Lish Lisi Lisk Liska Liss Lissa Lissy Liszka Litch Lix Loach Loache Loague Locey Loch Loche Lochi Lock Locke Lockey Lockie Locks Locs Lodge Loecke Loes Loesch Loga Logg Loggie Logie Logoe Logue Lohaus Lohse Loick Loiseau Loisi Loiz Lokey Look Looke Looks Loos Loose Loosk Los Losca Losch Losco Lose Losee Losey Losh Loshaw Losoya Loss Losse Lossee Losso Louca Louch Louche Loucks Lougeay Lougee Louis Louiso Louk Louque Loux Louys Louze Lowes Lowick Lowicki Lowis Lowke Loza Lozaw Lozii Luc Luca Lucchi Luce Lucey Lucha Luchia Luci Lucia Lucio Luck Lucke Luckey Luckie Luckow Lucks Lucky Lucy Lueck Luecke Lueke Luessow Luga Lugg Lugo Luick Luigi Luis Luiz Luke Lukey Luque Lusa Lusch Luse Lush Lushe Lushey Lusk Luske Lusso Lussow Lux Luza Luze Lyes Lygo Lygoe Lyke Lys Lyssy Lyzwa





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