This document provides instructions for beginners on how to start researching genealogy and family history. It outlines steps like writing down known family information, speaking to relatives to gather more details, and searching public records and websites. Tips are included on what information to record like full names, dates, and locations. The document cautions against relying on unverified information and encourages setting aside weekly time for research. Resources mentioned include free websites, the FamilySearch Family Tree, libraries, and Family History Centers.

1. Genealogy 101 - 102
Family History Day - Forget Me Not
1 March 2014
“Adolescents who report knowing more stories about their familial past show higher levels of emotional
well-being, and also higher levels of identity achievement, even when controlling for general level of
family functioning.” ...
"Do You Know..." The power of family history in adolescent identity and well-being, Emory University
Description of Class:
This class is for beginners, as well as anyone else who would like to refresh their memory of basic,
getting-started procedures for doing genealogy or family history research.
Steps to take:
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Write down what you already know:
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By hand on Pedigree Charts & Family Group Sheets
(make copies from pp 39-42 in the Members Guide)
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Use a program on your computer. There are many available
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Use a Family Tree online; FamilySearch Family Tree, Ancestry Tree($), MyHeritage($)
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Use an online Family Tree and synchronize your data with a program on your computer
Family Tree Maker($) works with Ancestry.com
Several free programs will work with FamilySearch Family Tree; see list at
familysearch.org > About (at bottom of page) > Products (under first picture)
•
Review what information is missing
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Look for what is already available in your home or your parents’ home and gather it together
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Talk to older relatives or family friends and find out what they have or know
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Make appointment
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Send a list of a few questions ahead of time
•
You will find a list of possible questions to ask on p.43-44 in maroon Members Guide Make up other questions as you find out what holes in your tree need to be filled.
•
Ask permission to record the conversation so you will have a record of any
information or stories they give you.
•
You might find that some would rather answer questions one or two at time
in writing.
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Write a thank you note afterwards
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Search for other resources - see a short list of websites below, use email, write letters
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Visit the Family History Center and ask questions
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Keep track of what you find and where you find it. See Research Log on p. 38 of Members Guide
(FamilySearch allows you to create sources and citations automatically)
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CAUTION: DO NOT RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE’S FAMILY TREE IF IT CONTAINS NO SOURCES!
Verify every scrap of vital information, as well as relationships, even if there are sources.
Examine available information in an existing Family Tree to see if it makes sense.
“Conclusions without proof turns genealogy into mythology!”
Dennis Brimhall, FamilySearch CEO
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2. Genealogy 101 - 102
Family History Day - Forget Me Not
1 March 2014
What to record
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Full names, use maiden name for females
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Gender
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Dates
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Standard on Family Tree; 1 March 2014 or September 2002
•
For approximate dates, use words About, Before, After, then the date you have
(ie: use ‘About’ if you don’t have a birth date but you know how old a person was on a
census or at death)
•
Record places as completely as possible, ie: Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
or Nova Scotia, Canada, or Germany.
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Don’t guess a country, state, county or town, as boundaries could have changed since
the event took place. FamilySearch Family Tree will give you options for your location.
Be sure you choose the right one. Look up the location in the FamilySearch Wiki to
determine some of the history and record the place as it was when the event took
place. You will not find the original records if you are looking in the wrong place.
RedBook can help for places in the US, available online in the Ancestry.com Wiki (http://goo.gl/lsTA1f) or in the Fredericksburg Family History Center, and possibly in
your local library.
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Watch out for errors in public trees such as FamilySearch Family Tree
birth after death
death after burial
person died young and has spouse
birth before mother/father birth
birth before mother/father was 12
birth after mother died
death before marriage date
marriage date before person is 12
Especially if you inherited your Family Tree
Public Records
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Birth, marriage & death records contain primary information for birth, marriage, death
(Death records are not the best for birth and names of parents but better than nothing)
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Church records
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Cemetery records
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Census
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Immigration
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Probate Records
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Land Records - see case study at genealogyblog.com/?p=23386
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City Directories
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Newspapers - obituaries, marriage announcements or accounts are great for adding to
your knowledge of your family.
Use a book called The Source in the free Ancestry.com Wiki (http://goo.gl/lsTA1f) or at the Family
History Center to identify more types of helpful records. Many of these are available online. See free
sites below.
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3. Genealogy 101 - 102
Family History Day - Forget Me Not
1 March 2014
Free Websites to check out
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Ancestry.com - historical records, free in the *Family History Center Premium Websites & CRRL
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billiongraves.com - photograph or transcribe tombstones, search for ancestors
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censusdiggins.com - free census records & genealogy databases
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cyndislist.com - more than 262,790 links to other internet resources
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davidrumsey.com - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
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FamilySearch.org - free historical records & Family Tree
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findagrave.com - look for ancestors’ graves, request photos or submit information
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Heritage Quest - free census records, Freedman’s Bank, etc through librarypoint.org from
CRRL with library card number OR free in *Family History Center Premium Websites
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stevemorse.org - search Ellis Island, Castle Garden and other databases
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usgenweb.org - genealogical websites for every state and county in the US - some better than
others
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wiki.ancestry.com/wiki - Ancestry’s The Source, Redbook, and other content are included free.
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worldgenweb.org - genealogical websites for other countries
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www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm - Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
Online Newspapers
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ancestry.com - Ancestry.com - $ or free in *Family History Center Premium Websites
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cnp.ucr.edu - California State Newspaper Project
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loc.gov/chroniclingamerica - Chronicling of America
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fultonhistory.com - mostly New York state but starting to expand to other states
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genealogybank.com - Genealogy Bank - $
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godfrey.org - Godfrey Memorial Library - $ or free in *Family History Center Premium Websites
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news.google.com/newspapers - Google News
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newspaperarchive.com - Access Newspaper Archives - $ or free in *Family History Center
Premium Websites
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worldvitalrecords.com - WorldVitalRecords - $ or free in *Family History Center Premium
Websites
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Puzzilla.org - pulls data from FamilySearch Family Tree and creates a chart you can use to find
where more research needs to be done. See
http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/Local_Support/Puzzilla/Demo2.mp4
*Family History Center Premium Websites - These are subscription sites that can be used free at our
Family History Centers. See Document ID: 106761 in the FamilySearch Help Center
for the complete up-to-date list.
I never had any large respect for good spelling. That is my feeling yet. Before the spelling-book came
with its arbitrary forms, men unconsciously revealed shades of their characters and also added
enlightening shades of expression to what they wrote by their spelling, and so it is possible that the
spelling-book has been a doubtful benevolence to us.
- Mark Twain's Autobiography
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4. Genealogy 101 - 102
Family History Day - Forget Me Not
1 March 2014
Set aside some time each week to work on your Family History
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Search available websites for records you need
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Use the FamilySearch Catalog to look for microfilm that is not online yet.
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Use the FamilySearch Wiki to find out more about the places your ancestors lived and read the
history of these countries, states & provinces.
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Use the FamilySearch Wiki to learn about African American or American Indian research,
Adoption records, military records, etc ...
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Go to the Ancestry.com Wiki and use the Redbook and The Source free online.
Where to Get Help
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Family History Center
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Genealogy Societies - local and where your ancestors lived
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FamilySearch Learning Center - See the Five Minute Videos and many others like If I’d Only
Known! Beginner Genealogy Mistakes
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FamilySearch Wiki
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Ancestry Wiki
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Collaborate on FamilySearch Family Tree or Ancestry Family Trees or other trees but be wary of
relying on these without verifying the information
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Online Mailing Lists
Can’t find any more information about your ancestors right now?
Try looking more closely at the siblings of your direct ancestors. You might learn more about their
parents and the rest of the family.
New records come out all the time, almost daily. Something will turn up.
Meantime
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Record your own personal history and stories.
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Write down what you know about your parents, grandparents, etc.
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Upload the stories of your parents, grandparents, etc, your digital pictures & other documents
to Family Tree in order to leave this legacy for your children and grandchildren.
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Find and attach Sources to your ancestors in Family Tree.
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Do some FamilySearch Indexing
Fredericksburg Family History Center
20 Boscobel Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
540 361-7494
Tue - Wed: 10am - 8:30pm
Thu: 10am - 2pm
Fri - Sat: 10am - 3pm
Culpeper Family History Center
420 Willow Lawn Drive
Culpeper, VA 22701
540-825-2506
Tue: 5pm - 8pm
Wed: 10am - 8pm
Ann Amadori
amadori33@gmail.com
1 March 2014
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