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Genealogy ~
- How To Begin Your Own Research
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 Why Search Your Family Tree?
- Everyone has their own reasons for starting their family
research. For many it's just a curiosity to learn who they are
or where they came from. Are you a Celt? Maybe you can find records
to your Norse Viking ancestors. Or perhaps you just want to know
if your great great grandfather served in the Union or the Confederacy.
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- As Ancestry.com says - everyone has a story to tell. And
that's certainly true about family histories. I won't go into
a lot of the specifics here about how to get started. There are
tons of websites that already do that. In fact, if you want a
good free online course that can take you through these details,
I recommend this one: Researching
Your Family Tree
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- But I can give you some good hints from my own lessons learned.
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- Keeping Records
- The most important part to doing your research is keeping
records of where you found your information. Write down titles
and pages of books, microfiche, census records, or whatever it
is you found to support your research. If you found a document
that records a land deed, or some type of financial transaction,
a will, or any kind of court document, try to get a copy of that
and keep it in your records. If you can get a digital version,
that's even better.
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- The second most important advice is to keep backup copies
of all your digital data. Most researchers use a family tree
software package to maintain their data. Some people use one
of the many genealogy sites online, others use software packages
on their own PCs. Which ever you use, make sure you have a personal
back up copy! I can't stress how important this is.
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- There are tons of genealogy software packages on the market.
One of the leading and most widely used packages is Family Tree
Maker. It's well worth the expense and it's easy to share data
with other family members who are also doing research when you're
using the same software.
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- Finding Resources
- Don't just rely on the internet. While you can find a great
deal of information at websites like Ancestry.com, you will also
have to get out and do some leg work at your local library. If
you have the ability to travel to some of the states and counties
where your family members lived; do so! And visit the local libraries
there. Many will have sections of historical documents from land
records and birth certificates, to historical newspapers. All
of which you can search through and find loads of information
that will never see the light of day on the internet.
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- Interview your relatives, try to track down family bibles
and visit historical sites. You'll be amazed at how much you
can find out by taking a tour of a battlefield or museum. Try
internet searches for people who have put their family research
on the web. Such as I've done here. Contact these people and
find out if they have any records for particular people that
you maybe researching. Remember the biggest pieces of information
you need are names, birth and death dates, as well as locations.
Knowing who this person married and the names of their kids are
also important to synch up with the research of others.
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- Lastly, remember that just because someone has put something
in writing or had it published in a book doesn't mean it's accurate.
Without the documentation to back up the claims, what's in writing
means very little. That includes not just books on genealogy,
but also history books. Even history books can get it wrong.
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- Other Considerations
- A lot of people are discovering the wonders of DNA research
for family genealogy. It's very important to remember that DNA
doesn't take place of documented research, but rather can only
enhance it. One of the most respected is World
Families.net. But please keep in mind, that just having a
DNA connection without the supporting data really doesn't give
you a lot.
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- Another great way to find information is by attending family
reunions. Not just for your immediate family. Many genealogy
researchers will also hold family gatherings to share genealogy
information and presentations about the history of family members.
This is a great way to learn and meet up with others who may
have solved some mysteries you're working on as well.
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