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Here are a
few of my suggestions:
(Let me know if you have any research tips and ideas to add to
this page.)
Table of Contents
What is genealogy?
How to start building your own
family tree
A few common questions
Free resources
Not so free resources
Types of records to search
Where to create a family tree website
A few words of wisdom
RSS feeds
What is genealogy? It is the
study of one's family history (ancestry), tracing back through
generations of relatives.
How to start
building your own family tree
To start you out I have created a
Family Group Worksheet that you can use
to start collecting information. Click here for the
Excel format
or the online submission form.
The National Genealogical Society -
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/edugetstart.cfm
LDS Family History Library -
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Home/Welcome/frameset_information.asp
they also offer a free genealogy program.
Learn some basics at Ancestry.com -
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/start/main.htm
If you'd like to learn some more, visit
Cyndi's List (http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm)
an overwhelming amount of links to help you learn about getting
started. I consider Cyndi's List the "Internet phonebook "of
genealogy links
A few common questions:
Genealogy
definitions and
terms
- just so you don't get lost or confused along the way!
What is a first cousin, once
removed?
The type of cousin describes
the person with whom one has in common two grandparents and
their ancestors, the removed indicates the generation
difference.
Click here for an expanded definition of relationships.
Do I need software?
To help you
get started, determine your plan of action to keep organized with
all of the information you will be collecting. I use
Family Tree Maker to document my family tree. Another popular one is the
The Master Genealogist.
There are many other software programs out there to pick
from, here’s a site that compares the software, although I
can’t guarantee the accuracy:
http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
There are some free programs and demos out there as well if
you want to try them out before you buy them.
What is a GEDCOM?
The simple definition at
Wikipedia:
GEDCOM is a specification for exchanging genealogical data
between different genealogical systems. GEDCOM is an acronym
for GEnealogical Data COMmunication
Click here to find out more about GEDCOMs. In
layman's terms, when you use a genealogy software program
(for the most part), it is saved with the extension GED at
the end (for example, a Word Document ends with doc and and
Excel spreadsheet ends with xls). This is the
universal genealogy computer coding for software programs so
that you can exchange your data with others or post it
online.
Places that you can post your
GEDCOM so that others can find you, most of these sites allow
you to build your tree online without having to install software
on your computer (most of these are free): Please read
the Standards for Sharing Information with Others from the
National Genealogical Society.
Ancestry
*
RootsWeb
*
FamilySearch
MyTrees.com (or
Kindred Konnections)
GenCircles
Genealogy.com
OneFamilyTree
GenesReunited
*
OneGreatFamily
* I have had a lot of
success with connecting to people using these websites.
How do I find out which books
contain information about my ancestors?
I usually go to some of the
genealogy book websites or historical societies and do
searches by either surname or by location. I set up
searches on a variety of websites and have alerts sent to me
via email when there is a match. For example, many people
sell family bibles and other “found” family memorabilia from
yard sales, etc on eBay, so I’ve set up a few alerts there.
I’ve found out about other books by scouring the web and, of
course, others informing me of the books. I try to find a
connection in most of the locations where my ancestors
lived, most of the time they are unrelated to me, and these
individuals have a wealth of knowledge they love to share.
Here are some of the sites that I frequently use to find
books: AbeBooks
and
Genealogical.com, You can also go to
Google and perform
keyword searches on books, they also provide a list of where
you can obtain a copy of the book. I also keep track
of family heirlooms that have been recently found at
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=topics.heirlooms
Communication is an important key
One of
the most important pieces is to communicate. I have
attempted to post on many message boards to find others
who may be related. In the process of my postings, I
have either received those who want to help me when I’m
stumped and have no idea where to go, others who have
offered to do some research for me, and I have found
cousins along the way – my favorite part. I have found
that you will meet some of the kindest people in the
genealogy community, there are a few bad apples, but for
the most part everyone is very friendly and helpful. I
think what frustrates everyone the most is when someone
posts a very generic posting that pretty much wants
someone to wave a wand and have someone else do their
family tree for them. Respond to posting with kindness
and if you can offer assistance to someone, do it!
There are a lot of message boards out there to post your
queries, however, here are the two most popular:
Ancestry
(Rootsweb and Ancestry message boards are one in the
same) and
Genealogy.com, So you don't have to go visit
these sites all the time to see if anyone has posted
something that may be related to you, sign up for "My
Notifications" for each message to receive either a
summary of activity on the board or the posting in your
email. You can also sign up for mailing lists,
here are a few to review:
Rootsweb Mailing
Lists,
Brickwalls, and
PIE for
Italian Genealogists, do an internet search and you
will find plenty more!
I have
also attempted to locate family members and have written
them "old-fashioned" letters. The letter
identifies who I am, how we could be related, why I am
contacting them, what it is I am looking for, I request
contact information for other family members who may be
able to assist me, and all of my contact information.
I sometimes include a Family Group Sheet for them to
complete. Most of the time I include a Self
Addressed Stamped Envelope. I usually use
Veromi to locate
individuals, although you won't find me listed since I
have had my information unlisted for a number of years.
It's a hit or miss on whether or not I receive any
correspondence back and sometimes I receive the letter
back that the post office cannot forward, however, when
I do receive a response it is worth more to me than the
postage I paid for the letters that did bounce back to
me.
Sign up
for genealogy newsletters for education and to stay on
top of what's new in the genealogy world! Here are
a few: Kerry's Newsletter,
Dear Myrtle,
Eastman's,
Rootsweb,
Ancestry,
DeadFred,
Family Tree
Magazine,
My
Ancestors Found,
Ancestor Seekers,
New England Ancestors, and
Origin Network
Free resources:
Social
Security Death Index
LDS Family
History Library
Rootsweb
Charts
- these will help you write out what you know today
Ellis Island
US GenWeb
Library of Congress
The
National Archives
Introduction to the
US Census and the US Census Bureau
DAR
Family Tree Magazine
- although not free, you can pick it up at most stores that carry
magazines, it has some interesting articles and provides information
for everyone.
Other freebies:
Family Tree Magazine
Search for Ancestors Freebies
Genealogy Links UK
CensusDiggins
Ancestral Findings
What I use in addition to the above links
(some of these charge for a subscription):
Ancestry.com
NEHGS
Genealogy.com
To find recent obituaries I use the
following links: www.obitsarchive.com and
www.legacy.com
Search for libraries, genealogy
and historical societies, in the area you are researching, most
have a wealth of information and they are an invaluable
resource. You can also visit my
Genealogy Sites page where I
have compiled my frequently accessed websites to help me
research my family tree.
Here are some ideas of records
that can help you in your research:
The list is endless and these are
a few that I could think of immediately, let me know if you have
any to add!
| Birth
/ Baptism Records |
Death
Records |
Social Security Death Index |
|
Newspapers |
Cemetery Records |
Census Records |
| Land
Records |
Voter
records |
Yearbooks |
|
Military Records |
Obituaries |
Prison/jail Records |
|
Immigration Records |
Marriage / Divorce Records |
City
Directories |
|
Passenger Records |
Social Security Application |
Bible
Records |
| Court
Records |
Probate Records |
Books |
Where can I create a family tree website
that's inexpensive or free?
There are a lot of companies out
there that will allow you to build a website for free without
the knowledge of writing HTML code. Go to
Google and enter in "free
website". Please read the
Standards for Sharing Information with Others and
Guidelines
For Publishing Web Pages On The Internet from the National
Genealogical Society. Also, please read "What is a GEDCOM?"
above for more information on where to post your GEDCOM file. Here are a few websites that are
geared specifically to family trees:
Ancestry
Rootsweb
TribalPages
MyFamily
Famoodle
Tribal Junction
A few words of wisdom that I have learned
through the years
Document every little piece of information that you
obtain with the who, what, where, when, and how
information. Whether the information is from a family
member and you have no proof yet, it may provide a clue
later on down the road on where to search for a record that
is eluding you. Also, collect pictures and document them
from family members (scan them and give them back), document
stories/memories, etc., I wish I had done that prior to my
grandparents passing away. You will find that others in
your family have no interest whatsoever in your family tree
and they may have some pieces of information that may help,
there is one in every family tree. I have a family member
who has family photos that are quite old; they avoid any
communication I send to them. I don’t give up and just hope
that one day I’ll be successful. I recently helped a friend
get started on her family tree; she invited her siblings
over for dinner and I would quietly ask random, open-ended
questions to get the conversations going, they went on for a
number of hours reminiscing about family members. I
documented like crazy and attempted to record much of it,
she hopes to be able to share it with her son when he gets
older.
Create
your own home page using RSS feeds
For those that are more
advanced, this is how I keep track of updates that are
continually going on with Genealogy.
To create
your custom homepage using RSS feeds from other websites.
Create an account on Yahoo, click on "My Yahoo" and
then "Add Content" link (top left), click "add RSS by URL"
(top right), paste the feed link listed on the website (it's
usually an orange button with the letters RSS).
If you are
interested in a certain topic you can search Google for
feeds, IE: genealogy rss - basically any topic and then
add RSS on the end. Also, at some of the sites
there is a Yahoo RSS button you can click to have the feed
automatically added to your homepage.
Click here to learn
more about RSS. Here are a few RSS feeds that I
have on my homepage:
Genealogy Blog
Dear Myrtle -
has a Yahoo button to add the feed
Eastman's
Genealogy Guy's
Feel free to send me an email if you need some help or have
questions.
Good Luck!!
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