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A Beginners Guide to Genealogy Research by Chris Krawczyk

Welcome to the world of genealogy research! This article is a step by step guide for the beginner genealogist.

Step 1 - Define Your Goals

You can not begin any project without a set of goals. Family history research is no different. 

The word "genealogy" is made up of two Greek words "genea" (generation, descent) and "logos" (student of). The study of your family history. That's obviously your main goal, however it's pretty broad. 

Here's an example of a more specific set of goals:

"My goal is to study the history of the _________________ family (or families if more than one). Specifically I want to:

a) Trace the family tree back as far as I can
b) Trace that family tree down from the top identifying as many distant relatives as I can
c) Preserve all information, documents, and photographs for future generations
d) Learn about who my ancestors were, why they came to __________________ , how they lived, what they did, etc..

Then I will share the information I have found with all other members of the __________________ family (or families if more than one) by ________________ ." (could be writing a book, passing on notes, building a website, etc..)


The above represents one possible set of goals to give you an idea. Your goals may be different, but you need to decide what they are. Start off by writing your goals down on a piece of paper. Why are you studying your family history? What are you going to do with the information?



Step 2 - Start With What You Know

Before we begin, there are many computer programs that will help you with the following. Some of them are available on our resources page. That being said, at this early stage a simple pen and paper should do just fine. However, at some point as your project grows you'll likely want to invest in some software. 

a) Sit down and draw out your family tree as best you can. Start with yourself and draw it going down into younger generations and going up into older generations.
b) Assign everyone on the tree a number.
c) Give everyone on the tree a seperate piece of paper. Write their name and number across the top. 
d) Record as much information as you can on those papers. Don't just record WHAT you know, record HOW you know it (what the source is). Whenever you reference another person (spouse, child, etc..) be sure to include their number as well. Here's some suggestions for what you can record:

1) Date of Birth
2) Place of Birth
3) Date of Death
4) Place of Death
5) Cause of Death
6) Married to Whom
7) Married When
8) Married Where
9) Children Names, Dates of Birth, Places of Birth
10) Occupation's
11) Education
12) Notes and Stories

e) Go through the tree person by person and record everything you know. Remember to record good notes and stories too. Tell the story of how your Uncle Bill met President Truman. Tell the story of how your father landed at Utah Beach in World War II. It is those stories that future generations will cherish. It is those stories that will be LOST if you don't record them. 
f) Document pictures. Go through any good pictures you have and document them. Assign the pictures numbers and record who is in them, where they were taken, and when. Remember, 100 years from now no one will have a clue about any of that unless you tell them!
g) Preserve everything. We recommend that you scan all source documents and photographs on to the computer and burn them to a CD or DVD along with copies of your notes. Then make a copy of that CD and give it to a relative across town or further. Do this frequently throughout your research, maybe once every few months. This will ensure years worth of research is not destroyed in a fire or flood. Don't kid yourself, it happens sometimes.

Step 3 - Visit Other Relatives

a) Visit your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles.... everyone in your family that you can.
b) Go through your research with them. Add people to the tree. Add notes to your research pages. Get copies of source documents. Get copies of interesting pictures. Record interesting stories.

At this point you will likely start to encounter conflicting information. Grandma may tell you her Uncle Bill was born in Scotland. Your father may say Uncle Bill was born in New York. Dates may become confused. If you have two different versions from two different people record them both and who told you what. Always remember however until you have a source document confirming something what you are recording is only a theory - even if it is what you believe to be true.

Here's some specific questions to ask them:

1. What do they know about the person (as you go through the chart) 
2. Do they know where relatives are buried 
3. Do they know and dates or places of birth, death, marriage, etc...
4. Do they know any interesting stories about the family 
5. Do they know any other living relatives that you've missed (visit them and do the same thing with them) 
Another great idea is to have the more senior members of your family write a story a few pages long about their lives. They won't be here forever. Imagine the joy of someone two hundred years from now reading about their great great great great great grandfather - in his own words. Or better yet....make an audio recording.


Step 4 - Getting Source Documents to Support Existing Information and Fill Holes

This is where things get slightly different, depending on where you are in the world. For more information on how to get at specific information it's a good idea to contact your local genealogy society OR a genealogy society in the place where your ancestor is from. They have experts who can point you in the right direction.

Our Links page contains links to over one thousand associations across the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Churches and Cemeteries also usually keep good records. Most counties, states, or provinces also maintain archives. Many of which are now at least partially online. 

Birth Certificates, Marriage Records, Death Certificates, Baptism Certificates, etc... will provide the confirmations you need. They will also help you to fill in the holes in your records. For example, if you can find a Marriage Certificate you will likely learn who the bride and grooms parents were. Remember, wherever possible make and preserve copies of the documents.


Step 5 - Digging Deeper. Finding Unknown Ancestors and Relatives

Again your local genealogy society can help you here. Most of the larger ones have special interest groups dedicated to a specific area of interest (i.e. England, Ireland, Scotland, etc...) and other members who are further along will be happy to point you in the right direction. 

My area of expertise is Ireland - with a name like Krawczyk you'd think that was obvious right :) - I'm researching my mothers side of the family. You can learn more about researching your Irish Ancestors in that article.

There are also some other things you can do to help with your search:

a) Search the internet for phone and email directories. Search for the names you're researching. Contact these people and ask about your family. You never know what you may find out.
b) Email is generally a good "soft" way to make first contact if you can do it that way. Regular mail often works well too. Phone calls from strangers generally get peoples back up so I would get permission to call them first.
c) When you do contact these people ask specific questions and be brief. If you encounter anyone who is hesitant to talk to you, politely try to overcome their objections - but if you can't do that then respect their privacy and move on.
d) Visit your local LDS church. Generally they have a library with a huge amount of resources. The librarians are also extremely helpful. In most cases you can send away to Salt Lake City and have microfilms sent back to the church for you to view. 
e) Register your name as a domain and build a family history website (see next section) let other people researching the same family find you.


Step 6 - Telling the story

Genealogy is a work in process. You may continue digging for decades. However at some point it is time to tell the story, to assemble your work, and pass it on to future generations. (This doesn't mean you can't keep on digging). What are your options?


Option 1 - Simply Record Keeping

If your goal is simply to get and preserve the information and pass it down this one is for you.

* The benefits of this choice is that it is very easy to execute and simple. 
* The drawbacks are it doesn't really "tell the story" of who your family is and where they came from. It's a bunch of notes, documents, and pictures.
* It also doesn't expose your work to an audience other than your descendants.

Option 2 - Write a Book

In an age of desktop publishing, and printers who can easily print and bind things for you, this may be a good choice.

* The benefits are it allows you to "tell the story" of who your family is and where they came from. You can include pictures. Maps. Copies of documents. Be creative and enjoy it! Include the good stories! 
* The drawback is it still doesn't expose your work to a large audience and once it is printed it is not updatable unless you print a new version.

Option 3 - Build a Website

Using the World Wide Web to store at least some of your research has advantages.

* The benefits are it is easily updatable: When you learn something new you can change the page. 
* Another huge benefit - having a website may likely result in other members of your very distant family doing similar research FINDING YOU 
* The drawback is you need to be careful what you publish. Everything you put on your site is visible to the general public. 

My Recommendation? All of the above

1. Start off by building a set of meticulous records. Document and archive everything and keep it in a safe place. Make copies on CD or DVD and store them far away. Do this regularly. 
2. Write a book about your family history in detail and give copies to everyone mentioned in it. 
3. Register yourname.com and build a website that tells the story of your family and lets distant relatives find you. (using parts of the book - don't disclose confidential information for those still alive) 


Step 6 - Maintenance and Conclusion

As the years pass make sure to update the website and records. Every five or ten years you may want to publish a new book.

You also want to choose a few younger members of your family and make sure they are aware of your filing system, where all of your research is etc.... The time will come when you are unable to carry on the work. Make it known to them that your wishes are for them to continue it once you are gone. 

Proper succession planning may ensure your work carries on for centuries if you're lucky! Imagine if our ancestors 300 years ago had that conversation with their children and kept records preserved! Imagine how easy our job would be today!

I hope this guide helps to get you started on your way. Good luck with your research.

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