Every journey begins with a single step, and in genealogy that first step is with you. Adequate preparation and planning will ensure you have the journey of a lifetime – taking you to places never imagined and learning of ancestors too long unknown.
But before we begin, let’s talk about computers and the Internet.
If you are reading this it means you have access to a computer and the Internet. We are indeed fortunate to be living in a time where there so many tools to help us discover and preserve our family history.
However, using a computer and the Internet are not a requirement, or even necessary for doing genealogy, but without them you will certainly be missing one of life’s great adventures. There is no better way than the computer to organize and utilize the mountains of research data available to genealogists today. No doubt about it: Computers, the Internet, and genealogy are made for each other.
If you are new to genealogy or a novice to the Internet, at least explore the vast resources and online help available to make your quest a fun and rewarding experience. If you haven’t done so, become familiar with Cyndi’s List, a website at www.cyndislist.com as I will be referring to if often today.
Cyndi’s List is an index of links that points to Websites of genealogical interest. The index is categorized and cross-referenced to genealogical resources on the Internet. It was launched in March 1996 by Cyndi Howell, owner and Webmaster with 1,025 links listed on one page. Today there are 264,000 plus cross-referenced links and more than 180 categories on more than 330 pages.
The main index page has more than 15,000 visitors a day and the entire site receives 70,000-plus hits every day. On average each month 1,500 new links are added, 600 links are updated/corrected and 300 non-working links are deleted. It is a work in progress. In 1997 a mailing list was created in order to keep site users up to date.
You’ll be impressed with the vast amount of help available to “newbies” as well as the intermediate and advanced researcher. To check it out, go to http://www.cyndislist.com/ and scroll down the menu on the left; click on “FAQ” (Frequently Asked Questions) and browse the page for information about the site, resources available, computers, software and the Internet, etc. Cyndi’s List is a great place to start.
So now let’s get started!
Read a “how-to” book or other tutorial. Beginners’ books are found in local bookstores and libraries. These books give an overview of the world of genealogy and what is available to help you in your research. In libraries using the Dewey Decimal System, most of the “how-to” genealogy books can be found under the call number 929.1.
Browse the “How To” or “How To ~ Tutorials & Guides” listings on Cyndi’s List for books and other getting started helps.
• Begin with what you know
There is one cardinal rule for the beginning genealogist: Always work from the known to the unknown. In other words, begin with yourself, then your parents, and next their parents (your grandparents), etc. if you skip generations you may find you have spent countless hours working on a line/family from which you are not descended.
Genealogical research is a family affair. Enlist the help of relatives. If they are nearby, visit them. If not, write or telephone. You may have a chance to get reacquainted with distant cousins to learn their family stories and traditions. Perhaps a cousin has or is compiling a family history too. If so, lucky you.
Search through family Bibles, letters, journals, obituaries, etc. Copy information from family documents or records. Organize and evaluate this data and record it on the appropriate forms including your research log.
Although you may have acquired a good deal of verbal information from Great Aunt Rose, you will want to obtain documentation from other sources to prove it. Identify those ancestors for whom there is insufficient information or documentation. You are now ready to begin researching public records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates; censuses; deeds; etc.
The “how-to” books you have read will direct you in the proper techniques of using public records for genealogical research.
Remember, prove the facts as you go. Don’t skip generations. You can’t prove James Carson was your great-grandfather unless you can show positive evidence that your grandmother was his daughter.
• Forms and Charts
Get some genealogical forms and write down what you know about your family. The most commonly recognized form is the pedigree or lineage chart. Information on four or five generations is listed on these forms. Another widely used form is the family group sheet which shows an entire family unit on one sheet: children, parents and grandparents.
To keep the record straight, use a research log. Any form/method convenient for you is acceptable as long as you can find the information when you need it. Use a separate sheet/page for each ancestor.
These charts/forms can be obtained for a few cents each from most Latter-day Saints Family History Centers, by mail-order from genealogical supply vendors or for free on the Internet. Check the “Free Stuff” or “Supplies, Charts, Forms, etc.” links on Cyndi’s List.
• Additional Helps from Cyndi’s List – www.cyndislist.com
For a list of genealogical periodicals and publications, check “Magazines, Journals, Columns & Newsletters” (Print & Electronic Publications for Genealogy).
If you are adopted and need help locating your birth parents, check “Adoptions.”
Enjoy Blogs? Visit “Blogs for Genealogy.”
(Watch for my next column: More Getting Started.)
Carllene Marek has been chasing ancestors for more than 25 years and chasing her muse for many more. A second-generation Californian, she has helped with several computer user groups, family associations and genealogical and historical societies. She has also compiled numerous indexes for assorted publications and written book reviews for various historical and genealogical publications.
Carllene currently writes a monthly newspaper column, “AncestreeSeekers” for the Chico Enterprise Record and the Oroville Mercury Register. She and her husband live in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California with a blended family of eight children, 12 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
