Start with what you know
Write down your own birth date and place, your parents' names (including maiden names), and any grandparents you can name confidently. Genealogy begins as organized curiosity — not instant completeness.
Work backwards carefully: prove each generation before you leap into the previous one. If you skip proof, small spelling mistakes become wrong branches.
Internal links: census methodology · immigration paperwork basics
Interview elders kindly
Ask open prompts — “Where did Sundays smell like in your childhood kitchen?” — alongside factual prompts like addresses and churches. Record audio only with consent.
- Use plain notebooks; scans can wait.
- Photograph heirlooms with a ruler for scale.
- Repeat stories back gently to confirm details.
Write citations early
A citation can be simple: archive name, collection title, date accessed, image number or page number. Future-you should be able to find the exact image again without guessing.
Pick a chart style
Pedigree charts emphasize direct ancestors; fan charts reveal gaps visually; family group sheets capture siblings — siblings often unlock censuses when parents hide behind handwriting quirks.
Military records: context before drama
Draft registrations may list nearest relatives — invaluable when marriages are hard to locate. Pension files can bundle affidavits naming siblings and neighbors.
Military stories deserve dignity: focus on factual events available in publicly accessible collections, and remember that trauma may still affect descendants who remember veterans firsthand.
See also: tracing family history in America for a broader methodology checklist.
Birth & marriage records (vital records fundamentals)
Vital registers vary by county and era. Marriage records often survive earlier than births; witnesses may reveal sibling clusters.
Privacy laws protect recent births and marriages — research modern generations ethically and sparingly.
Continue reading
If you're researching DNA alongside documents, walk through expectations calmly.
FAQ
Consider privacy for living people first. Many researchers maintain a private working tree and share selective portions later.
No. Libraries frequently provide database access to cardholders. Learn methodology before paying — paid tools amplify habits; they don't replace them.
Treat conflict as information. Ask who created each record, how they knew the facts, and whether one record likely copied another without verification.