How to Research Genealogy
Today's families are spread all over the world, making it harder to stay informed about ancestors than it was in the old days when everyone lived in the same geographical region. Get reconnected with your roots by researching the genealogy of your family. By tracing your family's roots, you gain perspective on your place in history, make some connections with distant relatives, and perhaps learn some family secrets from the past.
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Instructions
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Interview relatives, especially the elderly who might pass away soon. Ask about memories from their childhood or stories they heard growing up. Write down their words or even record them on tape. A family reunion is a good time to get a bunch of recollections at one time.
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Gather old documents and organize them into manageable chunks. Ask other family members to let you be the family historian in charge of all the paper that has accumulated over the generations. As you comb through this pile, organize it into an accordion file or even individual files in a file cabinet.
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Check with official sources for any missing data. Census records, death and marriage databases, and social security records are available to the public. A fee may be assessed, so be very specific on what you're looking for. Another option is to join a website that gives you full access to all these records for a monthly fee, such as Ancestory.com.
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Sketch a family chart and start filling in the information as you gather it. A family tree lets you see obvious gaps in your knowledge and helps you keep all the family members' names organized. Software is available to help with organization if you find using pen and paper is too confusing.
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Keep a notebook so that you can document all your newly discovered information. Write detailed notes so you don't forget anything later and so that later generations will be able to have the same knowledge of the family as you.
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Search through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website for even more extensive research into your family. Their site contains information going back more than 500 years in some cases, and spans many countries. The website, familysearch.com, is free (see Resources below). You can also visit their local church and ask their Family History Center.
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Compile all your family genealogy research into a presentation quality keepsake for yourself and the rest of your family. Preserve any artifacts, such as photos or recordings, in appropriate storage containers. Frame copies of your family tree chart and give it to family members as gifts, or to thank them for their help in creating the chart.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that a family is more than names and dates. Keep the stories alive by writing them down, maybe next to a photo in a scrapbook.
Old photos and other artifacts can be transferred to CD at many local photo shops. Consider adding music and making the photos into a slide show.
If you're pressed for time in your genealogy research quest, hire a professional genealogist to do the work for you.
