5/31/2025 – Beginning the Genealogy Journey
Since you are reading this, I presume you are interested in your family’s past. In this blog, I will provide tips to help you as you explore your family’s history by offering a blend of personal discovery, historical intrigue, and practical advice.
Getting started in genealogy is more straightforward than it might seem—and it often begins with what you already know. Start by writing down your immediate family members: names, birth and death dates, places they lived, and any stories or memories you’ve heard. Then, talk to relatives—especially older ones—who might have details, family stories, or old documents to share.
Start recording the information you gather. Professional Genealogists have created forms to help you record the information as you gather information. There are forms with simple, reliable tools, and most are free. Here are a few valuable ways to keep track of your research early on:
- Pedigree Charts – These are basic family tree diagrams that show direct ancestors (usually four or five generations). You can print them out and fill them in by hand.
- Family Group Sheets – These forms let you record information about individual family units—parents and their children—including birth, marriage, death dates, and locations.
- Research Logs – Keeping a log of what you searched, where you looked, and what you found (or didn’t find) will save time and help you avoid repeating searches.
You will want to keep this information organized. A couple of ways are:
- Notebooks or Binders – A physical notebook or binder can help you organize notes, interview transcripts, photocopies of documents, and observations. You can use tab dividers for different branches of your family.
- Document Folders—Whether physical or digital, use folders to store documents, photos, and scanned records. Label everything clearly by name and date for easy access later.
These tools help lay a strong foundation for your research and make it much easier to transfer everything into genealogy software when ready.
Most of these forms are free; you can find them online in various locations. However, one that sticks out is FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Genealogy_Research_Forms.
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