Easy Pickins

Ok, so you have your plan in place and are ready to start your hunt for information? You need to break your initial research into two sections:

1. People: Question the living

Start with yourself! Record what you already know

This may sound like common sense, but the first thing you should do is record what you do know about your family tree. Begin with your immediate family and write down names and places and dates of birth, marriage and death. After you’ve got most of the basic info down for your immediate family, start working back with through your direct ancestors: parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Do the same for your spouse’s ancestors, then start working outwards with information about siblings and their families. Always remember to follow your plan!

Interview family members

Ask other family members, especially elderly ones, what they know. And ask for copies of any records, newspaper articles, obituaries, etc. If appropriate, try to capture information orally, especially from any relatives who may not otherwise be able to provide that information in the future.

You can download and print GenealogyStarter’s blank Family Group Sheet (.pdf) and use it to record information during interviews so you can easily put it in your database once you return to your computer.

Be sure to keep your information organized, and make a “To Do” list to go through your collected information until you have analyzed it all. “To Do” lists help ensure that you don’t forget to review information that you’ve been careful to keep safely organized.

2. Databases: online genealogy resources

When you’ve exhausted your options for interviewing relatives (or if they’re always asleep while you feed your genealogy addiction in the midnight hours), you can turn to a whole series of fruitful online databases.

  1. Family trees online. Duplicating work can be a tremendous waste of time, so always start here!
  2. Search the Social Security Death Index. This is a great place to start for any ancestors who died since approximately 1962, and some before then.
  3. Search Census records. These are a vast source of information going back many generations!

After you’ve completed the above basic searches (and this should take a while!) then you will be ready for Diggin’ Deep!