How to Begin Genealogy Work

Genealogy: there is nothing more exciting than to trace your ancestors. Whatever your reasons are to find your family members, there are several simple steps to help you along the way.

1. Recording Methods

First, prepare the mode of record you want to use while completing your genealogy.

If you choose to use paper, you will need pedigree charts and family group records.
Pedigree charts show limited information on four generations. This form is great for a quick glance at your family tree.
Family group records show more detailed information on one family. It lists a husband and his wife with their dates, places, and names of their respective parents. It also has space to list up to seven children and any notes you need to make on the family.

If you choose an electronic method, there are several sites that will allow you to download a genealogy program for free.
The one I am familiar with, the Personal Ancestral File (PAF) allows you to record detailed information on each individual and as you link each individual it automatically creates a pedigree chart.

The PAF program allows you also to print different types of reports and charts to help you in your genealogy quest.
You can print a report listing all possible duplicates, all families that have date discrepancies (such as a birth of a child before the marriage date of the parents - even though at times such is the case; or perhaps an age difference between spouses that warrants a second check), incomplete families (you may have a father listed but not a mother), etc.

It also has a feature calculating the relationship between individuals. Now, that's nifty!

2. Starting Point

Once you have decided on your tracking method, begin recording information on yourself. List any important dates such as birth, marriage, etc. and the places attached to the events.

Then move on to list your parents. Write down or record in your genealogy program, the same type of information. Once you are done, continue the same process with your grandparents and so on.

After you are done, you will have a pretty good idea of what information you are missing and it is at this point that you are going to gather information from different sources.

3. How to Research Your Genealogy

So, you are now ready to search for the remaining information. What do you do next?
If your family is one to keep records of special events, including but not limited to scrap books, obituaries, and official records, search among those items for your missing information.

If that is not an option, or if the records found do not yield any new information, then, with the data already gathered, talk to your living relatives. What do they know about someone's name, birth, marriage, death, or anything else you are looking for?

When you have gathered this new information, independently of its volume, go ahead and record it. If you keep your records up to date, it will be easier to spot empty slots and continue your search. It will also save on duplicate work and there is a lesser chance of loss.

After gathering all the available information from relatives, you are ready to turn to other sources.

If your family started in one location and has never moved or moved only a few miles away, you can go to local cemeteries and locate some missing information from the tombs.

If, however, your family has moved several times through the decades and centuries, or if there is no new information at the cemetery, you may want to begin looking at information over the Internet.

4. Genealogy Research on the Internet

***Important*** the farther down the line you research, the greater the chance the relative you are researching might be related to someone else out there. Therefore, before you start diving into census records, immigration listings, military records, and other similar sources, check genealogy sites on-line to see if perhaps someone might have already found the information you seek.

One free site you can start from is Family Search. Maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this site offers a variety of links and a plethora of names submitted by millions of people worldwide. You do not need to be a member of the church to access this site.

Ancestry.com is another good site to visit. However, it requires a membership fee.

Our local city library has a special collection area and one can access this genealogy resource for free. You may want to check with your local library to see if they offer the same service.

Another way to access Ancestry.com and other genealogy programs is through the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. All locations are open to the public. Days and hours of operations vary based on the size of the center.

You can go on-line and find the nearest center to you and its hours of operation. You do want to contact them to double check on days and times, as it is possible that changes to the schedule may have been made but they are not yet reflected on-line.

5. Genealogy Research at Family History Centers and local libraries

After you have researched names in genealogy histories already posted and you have filled in any pertinent information in your records, it is time to start researching records.
Again, start with the information you have and work backwards.

Search census records, cemetery listings, ship manifests, immigration and military records. All these can be found from a variety of sites on-line. Some will be free, some might require a fee; however, as explained earlier, some local libraries and Family History Centers will have access to most of these sites free of charge.

When you go to a Family History Center, you will have an attendant ready to help you locate the information you need. The service is provided at no cost to you, unless you need to order a microfilm or microfiche.

If what you need is listed only on a microfilm or microfiche, then there will be a cost to cover the shipping and handling, nothing more. If they happen to already have the item you need on location (because someone else previously ordered it) then you don't have to pay for it.

If you need to print a document from the computer or the microfilm reader, both locations will charge a fee per photocopy, but that will be the extent of your expense.

Family History Centers also have blank pedigree charts, family group records, charts to list census information you find on-line, and other forms to help you record your genealogy. All of these forms are free.

6. Last Tips on Genealogy Work

As you work on your genealogy, refrain from listing every individual who bears your same last name. Although this person may be related to you, if you cannot place him in the right spot immediately, let him rest. Work with your immediate line and fill in the blanks you have on your pedigree chart.
When you have completed the missing information on your direct line, then it will be the time to go back and work on your extended family.

Make a back up of your work. If you are recording your information on computer, make a copy of it on a flash drive. If you are writing your genealogy on forms, make photocopies of them. There is nothing more frustrating than losing information you so painstakingly gathered over a period of time.

Be patient. Some names will be easy to find. Other names will require months of research. Do not get discouraged. When you will least expect it, you will stumble upon the much coveted information and you will be able to fill in that blank spot on your chart.

Be leery of those who claim to find your genealogy within a certain amount of time and for a very affordable price. A good genealogist knows it will take months and years to accurately complete a family history.

Make sure you record where you located the information listed on your charts. This will help you go back and check the information again, should the need arise, and it might help you locate information on your extended family when you are ready to work on it.

On the same subject, when you find information that has already been recorded, and you are just copying it, make sure to check what source that information came from. If there is a link to a census record, or any other type of record, make sure you copy that link as well. This way, when you add another relative and you find dates, or names, or relationships to be conflicting, you have a way to check the data directly from the official source.

Above all, have fun. You are researching your family. These are people you have a special connection with, even if you never met them. If you find anecdotes about them, record those as well and, may be, you can make it a family activity to get to know your ancestors through those stories.