Starting Your Genealogy (page 1 of 2)

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The absolute first step in researching one's ancestry is to organize the information that you already have so that it's easier to expand from. Family record sheets and individual record sheets are ideal for this task. A family record sheet is used for listing basic facts and associations of a particular family. When listing more detailed information about one person, use an individual record sheet. You can find many variations of these and other forms by typing in "genealogy forms" in the search field of your favorite search engine. These forms are generally sufficient, however you may want to create your own if you desire fact fields that are particular to your research.

Should you choose to create your own form, the forms referenced above include at least the basics; full name, sex, dates and places of: birth, marriage, death, parent's names and their vital information ("vital" meaning birth and death information), siblings and their vital information and child/ren's vital information. Other items that you may want to include are: Dates and places of religious events such as Baptism / Christening, First Communion, Confirmation, military service, etc.

It is indeed quite an accomplishment to obtain names, dates and places for your family genealogy. However, when one inquires further and gets more detailed information about an individual or family, the reward for one's self and for one's descendants will be priceless. Adding even the smallest tidbit of extra information adds valuable information in regards to who the person is or was that might never otherwise be documented for prosperity. This is why we encourage adding even more information to your forms, such as: personal characteristics, pictures, schools and churches attended, hobbies, sports participations, employment, organization membership, other accomplishments, past or post marriages, ancestral rumors and the list can go on and on. You don't need to share all this to the rest of the world, but it is suggested that you share this with your children and the rest of your descendants.

Once you have a good idea what kind of information you want to know and include on your forms, it's time to start asking questions of your immediate and then extended family. Don't automatically assume you know the answers. You just might be surprised at some of the answers to even your basic questions. This is why as genealogists we start our research at the bottom and work our way up or maybe it's better to say we start with the "now" and work our way to the "then". This tactic helps to prevent us from accidentally researching the wrong family line or researching in the wrong location. It is much better to take the time now to create a factually solid base of information than have to fix mistakes later.

Created by Shane's Webs