Researching Your Family Tree - How to Get Started
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010
by Jeff Sallee
http://www.SecretsOfGenealogy.com
You may be wondering how to get started researching your family tree; you have the need for information but find yourself at a loss as to where to start. Getting started along the genealogy research path is easier than you may think!
The first, and most obvious, place to get started is right within your own home. Gather all of the information you have related to the history of your family; birth certificates, family photo albums, any newspaper clippings kept by relatives and even heirloom bibles play a vital role in piecing together the pieces of the family puzzle. Because families often documented their family tree in the family bible; these can be an excellent source from which to compile an initial list of names to begin researching.
More than just sources of documents and photographs, family members can also be a great organic information source. Stories, memories, and family anecdotes will not only be entertaining but they could also provide vital clues to tracking down further information about yet another branch of the family history.
Now that you have gathered as much information as possible from your family members you can now set to the task of sorting and organizing it. Considering making good use of one of the available genealogy software programs; genealogy software will allow you to lay out the information in an organized manner. Not taking the steps needed to organize your information could easily lead you to get overwhelmed, lost, and buried in the various names, dates, and places.
Another good idea to avoid getting overwhelmed, lost and buried is to start with just one name at a time. Researching just one name, just one person's life and history, will ensure that as much thorough information as possible is collected before moving on to the next name.
If your family has a long and well known history in your town, consider visiting churches and city halls to see what records of your family might be kept there. You might be lucky enough to come across new documents like criminal records, birth records, and even information related to land ownership.
Many families have relocated from various points in ; don't let this intimidate you or slow you down in your research. For example; genealogy records for people of Scottish descent are not only a popular but also a very thorough source of information. Finding out which Scottish Clan your relatives hailed from is not only informative but can also be rather entertaining as you delve into available information about the Clan, their history, their traditions, battles over land, and even the Clan crest!
The internet is a very useful tool that will be invaluable to you when embarking on your genealogy research project. If family sources are scarce, the best method to getting started will be the internet. Whatever method you use to get started in your genealogy research, you are sure to learn as much about yourself as you do about the history of your family.
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Jeff Sallee is a hopeless genealogy enthusiast and truly enjoys helping others get started in this satisfying pursuit. For more information on his new ebook, free email mini-course or other genealogy articles visit www.SecretsOfGenealogy.com where Jeff helps other enthusiasts who want to climb higher into the family tree.
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