Getting Started in Genealogy

by Ed Talbott

Step #1:

Talk to Family:

• • • talk to all the oldest people in your family – interview everyone (including distant relatives)

      • normally you can always get the names and dates but what you lose by not interviewing your family is the good stuff - the family stories

      • make a list of questions to take with you - how did you parents meet, where did they get married, tell me about your Uncle Roy, do you remember your grandmother, where are your grandparents buried, where did you grow up, etc. etc.

      • if they have antiques or old pictures in the house ask about them - where they came from, who owned them, etc.

      • ask about old family photographs and see if they know how they are - take detailed notes and take pictures or scans of as many as possible - ask who is in the pictures, when taken, where taken, etc. - many times an old picture came bring back a flood of memories to an older family members

        • sadly I have a few tin types that I have no I idea who they are other than they were in a box at my great-grandmothers house

    • find out if anyone else in the family has done any family history research – do not re-invent the wheel

      • get copies of their family sheets, GEDCOM files, photographs

      • offer to help with organizing family history, research, costs, etc.

    • take notes about everything – locations, dates, names, stories, lies, rumors, tall tales, etc. – you never know when that family legend will lead you to a treasure trove of information.

    • write your distant cousins about pictures, records, family bibles, stories, etc. – believe it or not – just because your grandparents or their siblings do not have the old family bible doesn’t mean that it does not exist – it is probably in some attic in Arizona at your 3rd-cousins house – you will never find the needle if you don’t search the haystack – and that is part of what makes genealogy so fun – family bibles typically come down the family through the daughters

    • ask to go through boxes of old documents, attics, and storage buildings – things as simple as cancelled checks could become family heirlooms in a hundred years or so

    • don’t throw anything away – even if you determine that some information you gather is not in your line – that same information could help you rule out another line in the future or someone else may need that information in their research – I have 2 filing cabinets in my home office full of information

    • make copies of all old photographs for your collection – Wal-Mart can do it or a portable scanner and computer come in quite handy when out in the field doing research

      • your cell phone can take thousands of pictures - use it to photograph everything (books, documents, old home sites, etc.)

    • don’t get stuck on only the paternal line – you have just as much DNA in your blood from your mother’s mother’s mother as you do from your old great-grandpappy Jackson (if you name is Jackson) - every line is just as important as your surname line

Step #2:

• • • compile all the information you gathered from your family onto ancestor charts and family group sheets - this will help to organize your thoughts, get you familiar with your family lines, and let you see what areas you need to concentrate on in the future

    • take a trip to the local library – go to the genealogy section - ask around to find out who the local experts are

    • check the census records – in Buchanan County these were compiled by Jesse Stewart

    • make a note of all you sources !! - you will be sorry if you don't keep your source info.

    • visit your family cemeteries – take notes on all stone markings and photographs of the stones and locations

      • don't just mark down your family info but list names around your family plot (especially the other grave sites) - these may be very important in future research

    • look for family history books in the genealogy section of the library - use the electronic card catalog to search for your family lines

    • talk to the local family historians in the county

    • talk to any local historical societies - join them if you can - also look for any Facebook or online pages

Step #3:

• • • take a trip – visit the libraries and courthouses of other counties in your search area

    • carefully plan these trips to maximize the resources you can cover

      • contact any historical society, museums, archives, libraries, court houses, etc. before leaving to determine hours, policies, etc.

        • take down contact names and numbers at each place

    • county history volumes are excellent sources of information

    • visit family members in other parts of the area - stop by for a visit if possible - attend a family reunions (these are great sources of information)

    • check the indexes (located in back of the books) of all local history books - these sometimes have a great deal of family information

    • find a local LDS (Morman) family history center if you are going to be near one

    • visit family cemeteries in other counties - a cemetery can lead you in multiple directions of research if you just pay attention

    • keep notes on everything – especially sources! - this includes the title, author, section, publisher, date written, page number, etc.

Step #4:

• • • computerize your data – get a copy of a good family software package - ask some of your genealogy friends of what software they prefer

    • add all names, sources, notes, and stories to the database

    • keep at least 2 back-up copies of your work – use an anti-virus program to protect your data

    • run hard copy printouts of your work for back-ups just in case

Step #5:

• • • Surf the net – get internet/e-mail access [at home or at public library]

      • anyone can sign up for a free e-mail account at Gmail or Yahoo or any of several other sites

    • leaves queries on every county GebWeb page you can find - many times you can locate distant cousins that have done a tremendous amount of research and that can save you months of time

    • Warning: be wary of any information you find on the internet and try to substantiate it with original source records

    • join a mailing list/Facebook page, etc. for your Family name and monitor it on a regular basis

    • do searches on the family names you are looking for - learn how to use the power of Google advanced searches

      • Google can use Boolean logic searches, date range searches, etc. - I'll try to add an article on how to do this here later

    • join large national databases - some are free (FamilySearch) and some fee (Ancestry)

      • these can be a great source of information and can connect you with thousands of people working on the same family lines as you.

Hope this helps - this was from an article I wrote over a decade ago. Some of the info may be a little dated but I hope to make some updates soon.

Ed Talbott