1: Get Organized
2: Learn the Basics
3: Form a Strategy
4: Search Ancestry Records (AN)
5: Search Collections (AN)
6: Analyze Search Results (AN)
7: Develop Search Skills
8: Solve Problems
9: Family History Trip
10: Descendants
11: Reading Handwriting
Translation Tips
Music
Project 4: Research
Goal 2: Learn genealogy basics
Goal 2: Learn genealogy basics and identify a line to research.Vault
(21:10)
Choices
ALearn basic concepts in genealogy research.
Summary
- Work backwards in time.
- Get help with documents and details from family and relatives.
- Learn what research has already been done in your family, so you can verify it.
- Getting Started: Here are some suggestions for getting started with your family history research.
MH—Genealogy Research for Beginners: How to Get Started - Study these tips for starting your genealogy research.
Top Ten Tips for Starting Your Family History
FMP—5 Steps to Starting Your Family History - 2019 - For a more detailed approach on beginning your family history, read this article from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
Getting Started on Your Family History - Here are some questions to ask yourself before starting your research.
AF—9 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Researching Your Family Tree - 2020 - Research Principles: Understand the basic research process:
1) Gather known information; 2) Choose a research goal; 3) Find new information; 4) Evaluate new information; 5) Share new information.
FS—Research Process - Introduction—5:04 - 2018
APL—The Research Process—5:44 - 2020
More ...
- Here are some additional resources for learning to do genealogy research.
FS—Research Basics
BYU—Fundamentals of Research—54:08 - 2022
- Here are some important principles that every researcher should know.
FHD—The 10 Hard Truths Every Family Historian Must Learn - Learn about basic methodology and how to apply it to essential records.
RT—The Basic Steps to Methodology—22:59 - 2023
RT—Moving Beyond Record Hints: Your First Steps in Original Research, Part 2 (16:54)—2021
Resources
- Terms and Abbreviations: Learn important genealogical terms for your research. You can return to these lists over time and increase your knowledge of terms for your research.
AC—Glossary of Genealogy Terms
FS—Glossary of Genealogy Terms - Learn about abbreviations used in documents and genealogy research.
FHD—What Does That Mean? 300+ Family History Abbreviations Explained - Charts and Relationships: Get familiar with pedigree charts and family group sheets and how they are used. For free charts and forms, see Goal 12 in Project 1: Family Tree.
Step 1 - Pedigree Chart
Step 2 - Family Group Sheets - Learn about basic family relationships with this chart from the Irish Family History Centre.
Family Tree Explained – Family Relationship Chart
- * Good: Write down at least two tips from the articles or video that you plan to use in making your research effective.
- * Proficient: Same as above, with at least four tips.
B Identify a line to begin researching.
Choosing one line at a time to pursue is a more efficient way to do research. Try to gather as much information about a given family unit as possible, before tracing back additional generations: work backwards in time.
Summary- Choose a line that's interesting to you but not a brick wall.
- Choose a line that is likely to have available records.
- For easier research, choose a line with less common names and in your home country.
- If possible, look for someone who was born after 1700, with a recorded spouse.
- View or print a family group sheet for the person. Make note of missing names, dates and locations in the records of recent ancestors.
- See the Puzzilla.org Goal in FamilySearch Project 3 for instructions on displaying an ancestor view. Nodes without extensions are the end-of-line ancestors. To highlight these nodes so they stand out more easily, click Targets in the left pane.
Resources
- Plan to search for all your ancestors, not just the direct male or female lines.
LDS—Search for Every Ancestor - Use the Ancestor Source Finder to locate possible source records for ancestors in your tree.
LDS—How to Use the Ancestor Source Finder—1:50 - 2023
- Read this article for tips on finding missing parents in your line.
FHD—Five Uncommon Places to Find Your Ancestors' Missing Parents
- * Good: Identify an ancestor who would be a good candidate for opening a line of research.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for 3 ancestors.
CForm questions for each selected ancestor that will help drive your research.
Summary
- Note Step 1.
- Ask the questions of who (people), when (dates), where (locations), and what (events and record types).
- Take larger questions and break them down into smaller, specific ones.
- Ask the questions you're most interested in: Why did an ancestor move? Are there missing children in a gap on a family group record? Watch the video and read the article for ideas.
FHF—How to Ask Productive Research Questions—10:04 - 2019
FS—Genealogy Starts with a Question - 2023
- Here are some additional tips for developing research questions.
RT—A Foundational Step in Research Strategy - The Research Question—18:55 - 2024
- For a review of questions for ancestor research, watch this video.
AC—Asking Genealogy Questions and Getting Answers—17:20 - 2016
- Learn how questions fit into a good research plan.
FL—Research Like a Pro, Part 1: What's Your Question? - 2017
D Learn about sourcing and why it's important.
Summary
- Primary sources: vital records, certificates, census records, newspapers, etc.
- Secondary sources: histories or journals of someone who did not experience the event.
- Citation: a reference that describes where to find the source information.
- Sourcing helps everyone understand each other's work and helps avoid confusion and duplication of effort.
- Sourcing provides authenticity to claims that are being made.
- Watch for conflicting information in dates and places. Genealogical Proof Standard: Conduct a reasonably exhaustive research, accurately cite sources, ensure evidence has been skillfully interpreted.
- Become well-acquainted with the types of records you are using, including possible contradictions in them.
- Read these articles to learn about the importance of adding sources for your family history work.
FS—What are the benefits of adding sources to Family Tree? - 2023
GC—Sourcing: Key to Family History Detective Work
- This article discusses the use of sources in FamilySearch Family Tree.
JT—Digging into Sources in the FamilySearch Family Tree, Part 1 - 2017 - Watch these videos to get an inside look at using sources in family history.
AAC—Sources: A Family History's Raw Material—8:45
AAC—Understand Your Sources by Answering Five Questions—10:46 - Learn about the basic types of sources you can use.
AJC— Understanding Genealogy Sources - 2018 - Learn how to determine accuracy of information in source records.
GC—Determining Accuracy of Information
TH—Verifying Online Genealogy Sources - 2019
- Here are some tips on sorting fact from fiction in sources.
GTV—Fact vs. Fiction vs. Sources—6:20 - 2018
AJC: 5 Things to Ask about Genealogy Information - 2018
Genealogical Proof Standard
- Understand the Genealogical Proof Standard for sources.
FS—Genealogical Proof Standard, Part 1 - 2016
- Ensure that your research meets the Genealogical Proof Standard.
FS—Genealogical Proof Standard, Part 2 - 2016 - Learn how to apply the Genealogical Proof Standard to sources you are evaluating.
FS—Genealogical Proof Standard, Part 3 - 2016 - Here's an overview of the GPS and a handy flowchart of the processes it uses.
GE—Genealogical Proof Standard - 2022
- * Good: Study and be familiar with each of the points listed in the Summary link above.
- * Proficient: Same as above; also, read at least three of the articles in this Choice and write down key learnings.
Exercises
- * Good: Write down two or more research questions for one of your ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for three ancestors.