Beginning Genealogy

Questions from one of my readers made me realize that I haven't done a beginner's article for quite some time. Even if you are not a beginner, you might find some of these reminders helpful. I tend to get off track in my research sometimes, and reviewing my basic strategies helps me to get focused again.

The first question my reader asked was how long I have been doing genealogy. I have only been doing genealogy seriously for about 3 years. That is when I got my computer. Before that it was something I just persued periodically. With so much information available on the Internet, it doesn't take long to become knowledgable. The Internet created a new era in genealogy. Nevertheless, some of the oldest, basic techniques are as important as ever.

Here are my tips for starting out:

1. Write down everything you know- birth, marriage, death and burial dates and places.

2. Gather all the documentation you have and make copies.

3. Gather information from the most accessible relatives. Those who will be most willing to help you in your genealogical research and provide copies of documentation they might have.

4. Contact the oldest relatives while they are still alive.

5. Contact farther flung relatives and ask for their help.

6. Once you have done that, you will come to what seems a brick wall. The work of research begins. Send for documentation. There are links that will help you find out where and how to send for it. I'll list those later. It is from documents that we can discover the parents of ancestors, so we can go further back.

7. Keep an open mind. The family stories, spellings of surnames, and first names may not be accurate.

8. Document, document, document!!! It isn't true until we have the document to prove it. Start from the present and work slowly back in time. There may be discrepencies on documentation. In those cases gather as much documentation as possible to sort out the truth.

Another question I was asked was if it was expensive. Yes and no, would be my answer. It depends. In the long run you may spend a lot of money, but it can be spread out over years. There are ways you can do genealogy with little money. Instead of long distance phone calls to relatives, write letters. If you can't take trips to the homes of your ancestors contact other genealogists in the area. There are many on the Internet who are willing to help. When you are able to take the trip, be prepared, so you can take full advantage of the opportunity.

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