Geneaolgy, a How to Guide: It's all relative

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First you must ask yourself what are you doing your family genealogy for. The obvious answer is that you want to learn more about your family. You could just want a little information because you are curious about you family roots. Maybe someone asked you a question about your family and you realized you didn't know the answer, and now you're determined to find it. Some people get very serious about genealogy and decide to become the family historian so they can pass everything they have learned down to future generations. Whatever the reason, just remember that genealogy can be a wonderful addiction, and you may find yourself staying up late at night researching one more lead that ends with a tidbit that is just enough to encourage you to keep at it.

Secondly, you need to ask yourself what you expect to get out of your genealogy search. Again, the obvious answer is information on your ancestors. What you will find as you begin to look up data is that there may be anywhere from a seemingly endless supply to no information at all. What you may also find is that there may be a lot of conflicting information on many of the sites you search in. Be forwarned, finding the correct information could take a lot of time. Genealogy is not always easy, and sometimes it may seem impossible. Take heart, though. Someone, somewhere knows the information you are looking for. The key is to be patient, don't get discouraged, and to enjoy yourself. The rewards far outweigh the work.

Luckily, to begin family research, you will need very little in the way of tools. The easiest place to start is to interview family members. Family members are a great source for information. You will want to take notes, or if you can, tape record the individuals you are interviewing. Always remember what may seem at first to be trivial, could be the one piece of information that leads you to your goal. For example, Great Aunt Louise remembers that Grandpa Phineus was born in Alabama, but when he was sixteen, he moved to Kentucky. That little bit of data just gave you two areas to research, and twice the chances of finding information.

The best way to start is to record information about your Grandparents. If you don't have information on them, start with your Parents. If all else fails, start with your own information.

Let us assume for now that you have information on your Grandparents. You will make two records, one each for both your Paternal and Maternal Grandparents. First you need to make a list of thier Relation, Names, Dates, and Places. Leave blanks for the information that you don't presently have; you can fill them in later as you get research results. Here is an example of how to start:

Grandfather: Phineus J. Smith
Born: 1901, Montgomery, Alabama
Died: 1987, Blue Ridge, Kentucky

Grandmother: Roberta L. Jones
Born: 1904, Blue Ridge, Kentucky
Died: 1992, Blue Ridge, Kentucky

As you gather information, you will continue to record it. You will add marriage dates, children, (thier names, birthdates, and places of birth), and so on.

When you have gathered and compiled all the information you can get from your family, remember to keep a record of all the information you have received. We will discuss why this is important in the section on Family History.

If you are going to get serious about your Family Genealogy, you will want to know more than just names, dates, and places. You will want to know your family history. In this module, I'm going to show you why that is, and explain how to get useful data out of what may appear to be just run of the mill family chit-chat.

Never dismiss information because it doesn't seem important. For example, you may have come to a brick wall when it comes to important data on Grandpa. Along comes Aunt Susie who recalls that Grandpa was in the Army during World War II. There are ways to get military records that may have all that information that you have been searching for for months with no results. Some military records even have descriptions of the soldiers, such as height, and color of hair and eyes. Wouldn't it be great to find out that one your children resembles a family member that you never got a chance to meet?

And didn't Mom mention at one time that Grandpa made his living as a carpenter and that Grandma was a seamstress? Well, carpenters and seamstresses have unions, and unions keep records. It may take a while to find those records if they exist, but they could contain really valuable information.

Alright, you've gotten all the info from your relatives and you've started your family charts. Now you're ready to delve into heavier research and use that data you've been compiling. With your information at your side, head for the computer and get ready to settle down for the duration, because here's where it can become really time consuming and addicting. Don't worry, if you don't give in to the frustration, you'll love it. Get out a notebook and pen and go to the genealogy website of your choice. At the bottom of this lens you'll find a list of suggested sites to start at.

Let's say you have decided to to start with Ancestry.com. First, you should be aware that you're going to have to sign up to get information. There is no charge for the basic info, but you may want to consider signing up for a free trial. Once you've signed up, you're ready to start your research. First click on the "exact search window". Submit your information concerning names, dates, and places. Don't panic if you don't have all the data. Just enter the information you have to start with. Start with the name you want to research and use middle names if you have them.

As an example, we will use the information from the "how to start" module of this lens. The ancestor we are researching is Phineus J. Smith. If you know that the J. stands for James, enter that information, too. Next, fill in the country, state and year range for the person you are researching. We have info on our Phineus from two states, but to start, we will not enter data on either them. This way, the results will come back with data on both. Now click on search, and wait. (Please note that any information that has a lock in front of it is not free.) What may come back could seem overwhelmining, confusing or even depressing at first. Don't let it discourage you. Let's assume for now that you have gotten back all sorts of data. Your job now is to sort through what you have and try to determine what is useful and accurate. You may get lucky and find the right data your first time out. However, what is more likely to happen is that there are several people listed that have the same name as the person you are researching, but are no relation. You may not find enough data to figure out if you're related or not. If you're not sure whether or not something is accurate, make notes to check it against future information. Remember, you're a detective. Never overlook any possible leads.

If your first foray didn't come up with anything, the situation isn't hopeless. What this means is that you are just going to have to get more creative as you research. The next thing to try in ancestry.com is to go back and enter the data again, but this time leave out the middle name. If that doesn't work for you, try just entering the name of the person you are reaseaching. It will take longer, but the key to doing genealogy is to be determined.

There are many ways to get information and you have just started to skim the surface. Be sure to try using the links listed in this lens. One of the best ways to get information is to ask for help. You can do this by going to Roots Web. There are sections that are dedicated to just about any possible Surname that you can think of. If you post an inquery in one of those sections, anyone who has the information you are seeking will respond. This is a great way to hook up with others who are seeking the same data you are. US Gen Web has a great deal of info posted by states and they also have volunteers who will do look ups for you if they have access to the information.

Another good source of information is to call your local library and ask if they have a genealogy section. If they say yes, be sure to ask if the have census records. Census records list names, dates, family members, occupations and a wealth of other useful information. One of the best ways to find sources of genealogy information is to call any local Mormon Church and ask where their closest genealogy library is located. You don't have to be Mormon to go there, and for a small fee, they will request information from their main database for you. You can also check out the Mormon site, Family Search online, also listed in the links list.

The Bureau of Vital Statistics for birth or death records if you have enough information such as name, place, and date of birth or death. There is usually a fee for copies, but again, you will get very useful information. Birth records are usually better to start with because they also have information on the parents of the person you are researching. Social Security also charges for copies of their records, but again, lots of data.

Try to think of anywhere records of any kind would have been used or required. Churches, Funeral homes, and cemeteries may have baptism, marriage, or death records. Schools, the military, or newspapers all keep records for quite some time.