Here are ten simple tips to get started:
1. Clean out those closets, basement, and drawers.
Precious long-lost family photos, birth records, letters, even books with historic inscriptions are often found under other junk.
2. Document all research.
Start compiling a detailed list of all family members, including birth and death dates, occupations, marriages, military service, and hobbies.
Scrapbooks are good to organize photos and documents. Then use our
Family Tree pictured above to create a three-dimensional portrait of your family relations.
3. Sit your family elders down and obtain priceless oral histories
using tape recorder, video, and camera. Jog their memories first with specific questions, then ask about their memories of special occasions, family milestones, past world events, etc.
4. Hunt down birth and death certificates for vital information
that will lead you to doctors, hospitals, funeral homes, houses of worship, etc. Marriage certificates often give the names of parents and witnesses that go back generations.
5. Visit the mega site of all sites
—
http://cyndislist.com—which provides direct access to over 181,300 links of genealogical-related material. Browse through the major categories, and then get more specific for your needs.
6. Consider your ancestors
in the context of their “village”—ethnic enclaves within larger suburban areas. For instance, if your relatives landed at Plymouth Rock, you’ll discover historians and other descendants have already done a ton of research; same for ethnic groups like Irish, Jewish, etc. Look through encyclopedias, history books, old newspapers, etc., as well as the Internet (enter the village name into a search engine like
http://www.google.com and also in its “Images” tab).
7. If your ancestors were among the 24 million immigrants
who disembarked at the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924, check out
http://www.ellisisland.org. Records may show a photo of the boat they arrived on, their hometown, the day of passage, their height, and even who paid for their trip.
8. Check out the largest surname collection in the world—
http://familysearch.com—sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its International Genealogical Index database and addendums contain more than 725 million individual names.
9. Connect to others.
Sharing your heritage with others is how information gets passed along and expanded. Visit your local Family History Center for contacts, or search your surname, then upload your family tree onto the
Roots Web WorldConnect Project to connect to other researchers with common ancestors.
10. Don’t be a good speller.
The immigrant officials weren’t, and the transliteration of foreign names often became mangled in the rush of processing. Stay open to numerous possibilities.