How to Do Genealogy for Beginners

Find out your family history.

Genealogy is one of the fastest growing hobbies for families. Tracing your family history and expanding your family tree has become a renewed interest and passion. Finding out new things about your family's history is like going on a "treasure hunting" journey. The information you obtain is invaluable and can be passed down to future generations as their legacy. Genealogy may be defined as an account or history of the descent of a person or family from ancestors in the natural order of succession.

Instructions

Write Down What You Know

1. 

   Create a family tree chart or download free forms from the Family Search website. Start with yourself and your immediate family. A family tree always grows exponentially (1 self; 2 parents; 4 grandparents; 8 great-grandparents; 16 great-great grandparents; 32 great-great-great grandparents).

2. Fill in what you know about yourself, your parents and grandparents. Include dates and places of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths. If you do not know exact dates and places, estimate them.

3. Circle missing info on your family tree chart and decide where to go next.

Talk With Your Family

1. Contact your extended family and friends. Record any useful information and stories they provide. Ask about copies of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as the family Bible, journals, letters, photos and other records that might be available. Often parents and grandparents will keep school records, medical records, diplomas and other family documents. Ask them for names of other people you should contact.

2. Talk to relatives to help fill in the blanks on your family tree. Older relatives, especially, might remember generations that are no longer alive. Other family members may have already researched your family history and might be willing to share their work. Help older relatives to open up by asking them to share a story about their childhood. Remember to be respectful and considerate.

3. Take accurate notes and transfer the information to your family tree. Tape record the interview if possible, which will provide an added benefit of an oral history.

4. Focus on one person/one surname at a time. It is suggested that you choose the furthest ancestor that you know on either your maternal or paternal side. Identifying information about one person will often lead to other family members you may not know existed, such as the names of siblings, spouses and children.

Search Other Sources

1. Explore online sources such as Ancestry and Family Search for free access to family history records, guides and resources. You will also find links to other helpful websites.

2. Explore local records in your family's places of residence, if possible. Explore gravestones in cemeteries, immigration records (from Ellis Island, for instance), property deeds, army records, social security and census information. The National Archives offers a wealth of information on Americans. Consult church registers, newspapers, municipal records, estate records (for wills and inventories), deeds, naturalization papers (before 1906) and local and state archives, historical societies, libraries and published family histories.

3. Read books about genealogy. It is always very helpful to do as much background reading as possible to become familiar with the basic methodology of genealogy research. Different types of records or sources require different methods of interpretation or organization.

4. Join a genealogy club or society. The key to genealogy research is sharing information. Join a local genealogy club or society, where you will meet veteran researchers who can share their successful research tips. These organizations often sponsor "how to" workshops, lectures or classes that meet a variety of skill levels, from beginner to expert. As your confidence increases, seek out national genealogical organizations for more advanced knowledge.

Tips & Warnings

• Your relatives and family friends may be interested to learn more about their ancestors and heritage. Use social networking sites such as Facebook, publish a family history e-newsletter or blog, or present information at a family reunion.

• If you hit a research "brick wall," consider hiring a professional genealogy researcher to assist you further in your efforts in tracing your ancestral lineage and expanding your family tree.

• Do not become alarmed or frustrated if you find common discrepancies such as various spellings of your family's surnames, incorrect dates of birth and death, the wrong age of an ancestor or errors on census records.

References

• National Archives
• Family Search
• Ancestry