So you've decided to venture into the world of genealogy research
but you aren't sure exactly where to start.
Start with you!
Sit down with your paper or your at your computer and put down what YOU know. You might be surprised! Start with your name, birth date and location you were born.
What about your parents?
Do you know their names? Including your mother's MAIDEN name? Jot these down along with their birth dates, where they were born, places they lived, when were they married. What about your grandparents? What do you know about them? Write it down!
Call your parents, aunts, uncles, cousins!
Call anyone who might know something! Even the smallest tidbits can be important! (I spent several years searching for my great-grandmother Della. One day I mentioned to my aunt that I was having difficulty finding her. My aunt replies... "oh, her first name was Pearlia". Pulled up the records and BOOM, there she was! Small details!!!)!!!! When you call your family, ask them what they know about anyone, everyone and even those in between! A nice side effect of letting relatives know that you are researching the family tree is that some of them may have pictures, old documents, etc. These are the jewels on the crown. Nothing is more awesome than looking at a faded tintype of a soldier who is your great several times back!
Take a trip to the local library or the courthouse!
Libraries, courthouses, and genealogical societies are wonderful places to take it to the next level. Local history books may turn up that someone has done some of your family's research already! I found a picture of my great-grandmother in one! The best library to utilize is the one where your family has lived in the area. I lucked out, my family had lived in the same area for two hundred years, so the local library was a one stop shop for me. But in today's world, with everyone living across the country from where their family roots were might have it a little harder.
Hit the web!
Ancestry.com is awesome. Digitized, searchable census records, pension files, newspapers, wills... the list goes on and on.
But it's not the only place to look!
Search our local historical societies who may have local information indexed online. Often they also have volunteers who will do some local research for you (at the court house, library, cemeteries).
Cyndislist.com is another valuable online site! There are thousands of links on just about any genealogical topic you can imagine!
I have no shame. I've typed names and dates into Google.com to find out if there is a hit out on the web. Often times, someone else has done part of the work for you! But remember, use another person's research carefully! You still want to find your own documentation. Don't believe everything you read in the internet! Haha!
Other sites I have used are
Good luck!!!!
