Finding Your Ancestors, Basic Genealogy Tips

Use basic genealogy tips to find those ancestors of yours. Prove the facts and put flesh and names on those dusty old pictures. This is an exciting time for genealogists. More and more records are going on-line and more and more people are getting involved and helping each other.

Genealogy is a fascinating hobby, however it's easy to jump in and get information overload. Start slowly using basic genealogy tips that are shown below and obtain accurate documents and cite the sources of those document to make a quality genealogy. Start right out citing sources and you will be glad you did later on.

Start with yourself and your own family and then branch out to grandparents and their siblings. Find your and your family's birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates. Start in your homes and then look in your local courthouse or archives or churches to find your basic certificates and those of your family. You can then branch out to use the internet to find ancestors on-line. To save time and money you will want to use the best genealogy tips, sources and web sites that are listed on this site.

Start out with a method of organization that is easy for you. Organizing is a pain, I know, but you will be glad after you have found many records, documents, identified photos and unidentified photos that you have a logical method of filing this valuable information. You could use different colored files and folders for different families. Save every scrap of information whether a hand written note or a web page that has the information you need.

In order to save your genealogy and family tree for your children and grandchildren and their children, you must use acid and lignin-free paper, folders and plastic report covers. Also, use acid free ink and pens. Specific methods of preservation are shown here.

Genealogy is a chart or a recorded history of the descent of a person or family from an ancestor or ancestors. You will want a computer program to keep your records in order. Here is information on the best ones.

You will meet friendly people all over the world while you search ancestors and help others find their family. You will also find cousins and other family members you never heard of and that is so exciting.

What an opportunity to travel! You will want to visit your family's native lands and their original homes in the USA. Join a group doing research in Salt Lake City at the Mormon Church Family History Center. The Mormons have been collecting records for years from all over the world and the people working there are extremely helpful and gracious.

Many excellent genealogists have written genealogy books. They are pretty much similar just pick your favorite. Classes are also offered on-line. Many family genealogists have web sites. Be careful you have the right family and there are many errors in such sites. More blogs are being written daily by amateur genealogists.

Real genealogy is verifying all your information with proof. Send to the right churches, courthouses, societies for the original baptism, birth and marriage and death records. Send for the original census records

Use proven research techniques and avoid the pitfalls of the inept and inexperienced who think any old person with the right surname is in their family.

Cemetery research, taking photos, using scanners and computers will help with your research.

Latest tips: Dan Lynch, who has written a book "Google Your Family Tree" sends this tip: In the Google search box type your family name, for example Sweeney, then a tilde ~, then a topic .ie. genealogy. So the line would read Sweeney~genealogy. Lots of great stuff comes up. Very random but you never know. Try it, it's fun.

As of 24 November free records: 600,000 Kerry church records have been handed over to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism as part of a major genealogy project. They include documents relating to baptism, marriage and death, some of which date back to the 1750s. The records will now appear free of charge on the irish-genealogy.ie website www.irishgenealogy.ie.com In addition to these records the Government chipped in with 100,000 of their records. These records have already been digitized. County Carlow will follow on this website. .Initially the database will hold the church records of much of Dublin and Kerry Dioceses. The more-than two million church records comprise much of Dublin city including all of the Church of Ireland records. Cork City records and records for 35 parishes in South and West Cork are being prepared and will be added next. All records date from prior to 1900 and are based on the original church registers. Some of the earliest records date back to the 1500's.

The Cork City and West Cork parish records will be available online for free at www.irishgenealogy.ie from 16th June 2010 onward..

It was the Church of Ireland (Anglican) records that burned in Dublin (1922) because they had been collected there as the "official" records
of the country before 1864. C of I ministers or priests often resisted sending their records (or made copies to keep at home), and so about
half do survive, especially in the catholic churches. Sometimes genealogists had copied them in Dublin before 1922, so those notes are helpful too.

Hurrah, as of June 2 2010, all of the 1901 Irish census is online. You can look for your family in the 1901 census and then see if they are in the same place in the 1911 census all at the same time. Beautiful images to print. Go to: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search
In the Census Year box, chose 1901, then later choose 1911.

Washington State is starting to put public records online here:www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/default.aspx

FamilySearch.org is testing their new search engine. www.fsbeta.familysearch.org Oodles of records.

For Veteran's Day www.ancestry.com has free Military records. Check every year for this.

Findmypast was the first website in the world to put the UK's England & Wales birth, marriage and death records online in 2003. Now the site has millions of records online, which includes details of over 500,000 tenants on Irish estates.You can find findmypast Ireland today at www.findmypast.ie/.com

There are many useful tools to help with your search and lots of tips are included on this lens to help you narrow your search.