How to Begin a Genealogy Search
Genealogy enthusiasts have become increasingly common as people spend more time on the Internet. Genealogy research is the practice of tracing your family history as far back as possible while learning as much about the people in your family tree as you can. This can include finding photographs, public records and any other information that might be used to preserve your family history. Starting a genealogy search is a fairly simple task that just about anyone can do.
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Instructions
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Collect available documents. The easiest way to begin your genealogy search is to begin with the records that are already at your disposal. Ask family members if you can photocopy birth certificates, wedding certificates, death certificates, wills, diaries, journals and any other type of document that might be used to construct a family history.
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Conduct an Internet search for additional records. You can use Google to do a simple search for known family members, but your efforts will be more productive if you use a website specifically created for genealogy research, like familysearch.org., geneaology.com or myheritage.com.
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Locate photographs to enhance your family-history records. Many of the online genealogy sites also have extensive collections of photographs that have been submitted by other genealogists. It may be that you are related to another genealogist that you are unaware of who has provided photographs of your ancestors.
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Look for other sources. Go to the nearest university and see if you can access any collections that they have available. If you know that you have someone famous or historically significant in your family tree, you may be able to gain access to special collections usually only available to students and faculty.
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Get organized and document your work. You will want to purchase some folders or some other type of storage system to keep your records safe. You should consider purchasing a software program specifically designed for genealogical research. You can also use programs like Microsoft Excel and Access for building a database of records. And you should begin to compile a list of contacts who you can call for networking purposes. Other genealogists, public officials and family members can be valuable resources in completing your research.
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