How to Research Your Family Tree
Have you been thinking about learning more about your family's history? Here are some steps that you can take to form a research plan:
1. Write down as much as you know about the person or persons you want to learn more about. Include details such as approximate dates and places of birth, marriage and death; spouse's name; children's names; and any other details you feel may help you to distinguish your ancestor from other individuals.
2. Write down exactly what you hope to learn about the person you're tracking. It's very easy to get sidetracked once you begin your family history research. It can be very exciting to uncover facts you never new about your family and this can cause you to lose sight of your initial goals in tracing your family tree. For this reason, writing down your aims in your basic plan is important. For example, your goal might be to learn as much as you can about one side of your family or learn more about an old story you've heard about your ancestors.
3. Use a genealogical search engine to get a general idea of what's available. For example, a site like Ancestry.com can help you find information about your great-grandmother. Enter her name and where she lived to narrow down the search results. The data returned will give you a pretty good idea of the range of resources that are available.
4. Prioritize the resources that you want to use. These genealogy sites often turn up a variety of resources like one-name study sites, mailing lists, and newsgroups. I'd recommend that you prioritize the resources that you plan to use first. An excellent starting point would be to visit a site like Ancestry.com that give you access to civil registration documents that will allow you to verify important dates and events.
5. Schedule time to use the various resources that you identify. Researching family history is a lifelong venture. You can't download every bit of information and documentation that you need all at once. Because it requires a lot of time and effort to research your family history, it's best to schedule specific times to work on specific parts of your research plan. Believe it or not, genealogy can be addictive so breaking it down into small tasks allows you to get the most from your research efforts without getting yourself bogged down by information.
Don't forget that there are plenty of websites that allow you to create your family tree online for free. Mundia.com is the one I recommend. As you advance with your research be sure to document your findings in your family tree and share the new information with your family members.