Where To Start With Your Genealogy Research

Where do you start when researching your family tree? In genealogy the rule is to always start with what you know and go backward from there. Write down everything you can think of about yourself, your siblings, your parents, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, and anyone else you can think of. Now you have a list of what to research. The idea is to start with one person at a time until you complete your tree or until you cannot go any further. When done correctly, this will connect everyone in a clear and concise manner.

Review your list. Pick a person you wish to research, it's always a good idea to start in a generation closest to you but that is not cast in stone. A good place to start is with an older aunt or uncle, a grandparent, or great grandparent. You will be interviewing them about their lives and on lives of family members. Before you talk to them write down any questions you may have. Some good questions to ask are where were you born, where did you grow up, why did you marry so and so, what was it like growing up, what schools did you attend, who were your parents, where were they born, did anyone in your family serve in the military, did they belong to any clubs or societies (like Free Masons or International Order Of Odd Fellows, Knights of Columbus, etc.), and what church or synagogue did they attend. If your family has immigrant roots ask them where the "old country is" and what is it now (Poland for example did not exist for about 100 years, it was mostly Russia and Germany, now parts are in the Ukraine and Moldova as well). Ask what their family did in the "old country." Also ask how they came to the US and what port they left from.

If your ancestors are descended from slaves, ask about your ethnic origins, what states they were in, what plantations they were on and names of the owners. Also be sure to ask what family members were separated and where they think they were sold to. Find out if any were emancipated or ran away. Other things to find out with slave research are to see if there were any narratives written. After the Civil War, many slaves had their stories written for them or if they had some education, the penned their own stories. A copy of any such journal is a rare find and if one exists in your family, great care should be taken to see that the original is preserved. You may also want to consider publishing it in its original form. Any surviving narratives are an important piece of history.

For Native American research you will need to determine a tribe affiliation. Find out who has Native American bloodlines and where they lived and who they married. Ask if anyone lived on a reservation or government supplied land. Be sure to find out what tribe they are from and who exactly had tribal affiliations.

Family papers are very important. Ask if you can see any immigration records, old bibles, birth, marriage and baptismal records, and old photos. Many of these records, especially old bibles are not easily copied so you should transcribe the information into your notebook exactly as it appears on the page. Make no spelling corrections or date corrections. Make a note as to who has what documents and photos. Be sure you know who has the old bibles. Take a digital camera with you and ask if you can photograph any of these items. Also ask about other non-document heirlooms like china, furniture, paintings and other things. You might find corporate seals, military medals, significant pieces of jewelry (not necessarily valuable like diamonds). You never know what you will find unless you ask. This is also where you may find out if you are related to someone famous (or infamous). All stories have some basis of truth to them. The relationship to Mario Puzo may not be directly though his sister as stories goes. It could be through a marriage to his half sister instead. Follow up on all stories. You will unearth a tremendous amount of information about your family. It is the stories that make it interesting. A list of names, places and dates is not very interesting to anyone. Quality genealogical research will place a family member in the society that they lived in. You can compile at least a small snippet of an ancestor's life to share with the rest of your family. This is exactly why a number of records should be researched.

Old photographs are another way to find out about your family. Go through old albums. Be sure to note any inscriptions on the back and the name of the photographer if any. Photography goes back all the way to the 1860's so there is a good chance that you will find old photos. If you come across old photos, the first thing to do is look on the back to see if any of the subjects are identified. Hopefully the writing will be in a language you can read. Find out from relatives who took the photo and anything else about it that they might know. Ask whose house is that, what street is that, and whose car is it. All of this information will help you in your search for your ancestors. Also look at the clothing – this will also help date the photo. Women and men's fashions changed fairly often.

You'll see in the picture above that the clothing is very distinct – like the men's rounded collars and skinny ties. The beard style is also a clue. So is the fact that all of the males in this photo are wearing hats (including the boys). No matter where she lived, no woman would be caught dead wearing an old outdated outfit for something as important as a family photo. In this picture you see that all of the women have their hair up. The sleeves are long and all of them are wearing necklaces. Other things to determine are to see if the photo is in color, black and white, or has it been colorized (a black and white photo that has been professionally colored, many look like paintings or water colors)? To identify the subjects in the photograph determining the approximate time the photo was taken helps. Aside from clothes, and the photographer's information (if any) there are things to look for. Is the photo cardboard or paper? If yes, then it can be an amateur photograph, a current photograph, a carte-de-visite, cabinet card, or a photo postcard (look on the back for postcard markings). If the photograph is made from metal then it will most likely be a Ferrotype or Daguerreotype in a case. Is it made from glass? Then it is either a glass plate negative or an ambrotype in a case. Be very careful about removing old photos from their cases. You do not want to damage them. Finally are the photos in an album? If so, what does the album look like? Is it newer or is it leather with gold in a heavy binding with a metal clasp? Does it look a lot like an old bible? If so, these are old photos carte-de-visite and cabinet cards. Do not remove the photos from them but do everything you can to keep these albums in a dry safe place.