How to do research

There are many websites with advice for beginners such as at the Family Tree website or Family Tree Magazine website.

Google "How to do genealogy research" for lots of advice, but be wary of hidden costs, freebies, or giving out information useable by identity thieves. Be wary of disclosing any personal information about living relatives.

Common sources of information include:

  • Interviews with family members. Also be sure to contact any other genealogists in your family.

  • Ancestry.com (Local libraries often have a free subscription if you do the research there and even have classes on how to use it. Ancestry.com has 17 billion searchable records and is the world leader in online research. Here is a list of some of the other better known online websites for researchers.)

  • Census records

  • Birth records

  • Marriage records

  • Immigration records

  • Naturalization records

  • Land records

  • Obituaries

  • Cemeteries

  • Newspapers

  • Old letters

  • Family Bibles

  • Church records

  • Military records

  • Listservs - especially the archives of listservs like the OCallaghan-L archives

  • DNA analysis

  • Consulting other researchers

  • History Books - like Joseph O'Callaghan's book about the history and genealogy of the O'Callaghans

  • Archives, libraries, and book depositories

Don't be afraid of "Hitting the Brick Wall" around 1800. That's normal. At that point you can always start at the beginning in the 10th Century and move forward or get involved with a DNA project.