5 Ways to Start a Genealogy Research Project
by Rich Hill
Everyone has the urge to study their family history and do a genealogy
research project. This article and the next three to follow will help you
get started the right way. Get in the habit of following the described
procedures and it will pay off for years to come.
Even with the internet now this is not a project that you can perform
quickly. It will become a lifelong hobby for you once you really get
bitten by the genealogy bug. By following the ideas listed in these
articles you will see your family tree start to branch out with each new
discovery.
Do not waste any time on trying to hook up to some famous person that you
believe or have heard that you might be related to. It may turn out that
you do descend from, or are related to this notable person but if you do
not follow the recommended procedures here you will never be able to prove
it.
Here are the first five methods to follow to start a genealogy research
project:
1 - Start with what you know about your immediate family and work
backwards. This is the most important point and you must do it this way.
The documents that you locate to prove your connection to each generation
will provide the clues you need to discover the next older set of
ancestors and their siblings.
2 - Interview your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all
known relatives, especially the older ones. Most of them will have some
clues that you will be able to use in your search. Even some of your
contemporary modern day cousins, second and third cousins will have
information to share that will provide clues. Remember that you are not
likely the only descendant of these ancestors.
3 - Start now to get in the habit of using spiral notebooks for recording
your data. Spiral notebooks will be very handy in keeping your research in
some form of chronological order. Make sure you date the pages and make
notes of what library or courthouse you found the records in for each day.
You will have plenty of loose sheets of photocopies and miscellaneous
notes to file but if you use the spiral notebooks they will be a big help
as the years go by to be able to go back and refer to.
4 - Make a Pedigree Chart of your direct ancestors only, and then make
Family Group Sheets (FGS) for all of the married couples. The FGS is
probably the most important document to create because this is one place
that you can see each family unit with all of their detailed vital
statistics and dates. There is a place for the husband and wife, each of
their parent's names, and all of their children and who the children
married.
5 - Use all of the Federal Census and State Census data that you can get
on each person. Here you will get names and dates and immigration facts
and you will be able to see the neighbors within their communities. The
Federal Censuses are all on line now through subscription websites like
ancestry, footnote and HeritageQuest. Some of the digitized censuses are
also online for free through the Mormon website at familysearch dot org.
Check with your local public library as many of them have online
subscriptions that you will be able to access these censuses with from
your own computer or certainly from the library's computer.
Stay tuned for installment #2 of 4 in this series.
