How Do I Start My Family History? Step 1. Write Down What You Already Know about Your Family Using the example below, fill out the attached Pedigree Work Sheet with the information you already know about your family. Start with yourself. If you do not know exact dates and places, estimate them. After you finish, tear off the attached Family Group Work Sheet, and make a copy for each couple on your pedigree. Fill out one sheet for each family (parents and their children). Pedigree Work Sheet Father You ace her e
Step 2. Decide What Missing Information You Want to Learn about Your Family Circle any missing or incomplete information on your Pedigree Work Sheet. Decide what information you want to find. Start with your parents or grandparents and work your way back. Father You Spouse
Step 3. Find Out What Research Has Already Been Done Search Family Sources Talk to relatives or family friends, and record any useful information or stories. Record interviews with family members on videotape or audiotape. Make copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates, as well as journals, letters, charts, photos, registers, military papers, ancestral tablets, pedigrees in family Bibles, and other family records you find. Search Other Sources Using public, university, and state libraries, search for your ancestor s last name in family histories, biographies, genealogies, or histories of a place. Use the Family History Library Catalog, which describes records from around the world that are at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. This library is the single largest source of genealogical records in the world. You can order a film copy of most records through a family history center near you. (For locations, look in your local phone book under The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Use the FamilySearch web site (www.familysearch.org). This site offers several search options and can direct you to other key web sites for additional possibilities. Keep Track of Your Information Write down what you find and where you find it in the Notes, explanations, and sources of information field on the Family Group Work Sheet. Doing this will help you avoid searching for the same information twice and will also be useful as you begin sharing your information with others. Make a Things to do list to help you remember the tasks you have left to accomplish. You may want to include all your ideas of records to search. Be sure you write down the: of the ancestor. Date of the search. Results of the search. Film or call numbers. and location of the source. (This could be the name and address of a person or the location of a library or archive.) Write down all your information as you compile it. This example shows a Things to do list.
Step 4. Search Other Records to Locate Missing Information Search Vital, Church, and Census Records Three of the most helpful sources of original records are vital records, church records, and census records: Vital records contain birth, marriage, and death information. Church records contain birth, christening, baptism, marriage, and death information. Census records contain family and household information. Use the Family History Library Catalog to see what filmed original records are available through the Family History Library. These can be ordered from a family history center near you. Locate Other Original Sources After you have searched the Family History Library Catalog, you may also want to search: Local, state, and national archives, libraries, and historical or genealogical societies for original records. The Internet for thousands of excellent genealogy sites. Search local, state, or national archives and library collections. Search local and state courthouse records. Search the Internet. Step 5. Evaluate and Share Your Information After you have searched for your missing family information, you need to evaluate it: Did you find what you were looking for? Is the information complete? Is the information consistent with other sources about the same matter? Next you may want to share the information. Call or write to family members and share what you have found. Make copies of family charts, photos, and stories for your family members. Once your family records are organized and stored in a safe location, you are ready to start over with step 1 by continuing to find more information and extending your family line further. ENGLISH 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the USA. English approval: 3/01 4 02329 16000 5 32916
Pedigree Work Sheet You Spouse Mother Father
Pedigree Work Sheet You Spouse Mother Father
Family Group Work Sheet Husband Father s name Mother s maiden name Wife Maiden name Father s name Mother s maiden name Children (List both living and dead) 1 Male Female Male Female Spouse s name 2 Spouse s name
Husband Wife Maiden name Children (List both living and dead) 3 Male Female Spouse s name Notes, explanations, and sources of information Things to do