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Guide to Family History Research
Guide to Family History Research is for you! If you’re here, you’re probably
looking for information about getting started in a wonderful, rewarding hobby.
This guide contains the following chapters:
Click at the top of each page where it says "Guide to Family History
Research" to return here and go to the next chapter, or use the navigation
system at the bottom of each page to move from chapter to chapter.
Getting Started
It’s not rocket science—start with what you know and work backward, one
generation at a time.
Use your memory, information from family members, and whatever documents you can
lay hands on to start the ball rolling.
Begin organizing your materials from the start so you won’t wind up thinking
you’re your own grandpa.
Write down how you know what you know as you collect data. Just trust me on that
one. Or don’t do it and you’ll find yourself re-doing your research when you
can’t resolve conflicting information.
Read through the chapters in this book (well, on this website) and dive right
in. Look through the kinds of records mentioned and soak up the concepts about
how to approach this project.
You’ll run into records you don’t understand. When that happens, you’re ready
for a new learning experience—you’ll get used to it after a while.
Keep in mind that every single one of your ancestors had two parents, one male,
one female. Yes, you’ll begin to wonder if there are outer-space aliens in your
lineage (there probably are) when you simply cannot move backward on some family
line or another. Don’t give up; switch your focus to another branch of your family
tree and hone your
research skills, then come back to the problem line later on.
This guide focuses on American genealogy. When you trace your folks back to a
foreign country, the records will be different but the process is the same.
Your folks didn’t exist in a vacuum—keep them with the people they were kin to
and associated with. You’ll find they were part of networks of social
acquaintances, religious brethren, business contacts, military comrades-in-arms,
extended family, in-laws, neighbors, and, of course, family members. Use those
people to help you find your folks.
Keep your family in historical context. Not only did the people around them
impact their lives, so did political events and social trends. Read history.
Good luck on your research!
[Get Started] [Is Family History For You?] [Home and Family Sources] [Organizing Your Family Records] [Beginning Your Research] [Federal Census Records] [Courthouse Research] [Military Records] [Ethnic Genealogy] [A Broad View] [Correspondence] [Sharing Your Heritage] [A Genealogist's Toy Box] [Glossary]
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