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Dale Lee

Genealogy has become the number one hobby in the United States. For someone that is just beginning the journey into the past, the road can seem a bit confusing. The following outline is a map of the steps a beginner can take to become familiarized with the terrain. There is an abundance of books written on the subject, however it is always good to get the big picture before digging into the details.
  

Collect what you have
    Birth Certificates
    Baptismal Certificates
    Marriage Certificates
    Death Certificates
    Burial records
    Journals
    Diaries
    Wills
    Maiden names
    Deeds to land
    Family legends

Organize yourself
    Organize by family
    Alphabetize family group records by last name
    Organize your pedigree charts (ancestry)
    Organize your descendant charts (descendants)
    Organize County folders (repositories, maps, etc.)
    Keep a Correspondence log
    Keep a Research log
    Keep a To-Do list
    Set aside space to store records in the home
    If you have a computer, get a family file program
    Set a Goal, nothing gets done by wishful thinking
    Use manila and/or hanging folders
    Use a notebook
    Helps and Tips you've found
    Research the whole family, sibling info too

Ask your relatives
    Close relatives
    Distant relatives
    Family organizations
    Family Bibles
    Family Photo Albums
    Journals
    Diaries
    Family legends
    Gedcom files

Document your sources!
    Photocopies of documents
    Book titles
    Volumes
    Page numbers
    Microfilm numbers
    Microfiche numbers
    Individual ID's, when found
    Documents
    Serial numbers
    Certificate numbers
    Repository name where document found
    Author
    Source
    Publication information
    Printer name
    Date of publication

Look for outside help
    Libraries
        Family History libraries
        State libraries
        University libraries
        Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ 
            of Latter-day Saints
    Internet organizations
        Family History websites
        Family organizations
        County genealogical societies
        State genealogical societies
        Foreign country organizations
        Genealogical websites
        Genealogical societies
        Genealogical e-mail groups
        Newsgroups
        Mailing lists
        Vital Statistics sites
     Professional Genealogists

Sources
    Census records!
    Parish records (Bishop's transcripts, etc.)
    Cemeteries
    Newspapers (obituaries and births)
    Immigration records (into a country)
    Emigration records (exiting a country)
    Ships passenger lists
    School records
    Naturalization records
    Military records
    Social security records
    Court records
    Official documents (county records)
    Business filings
    Wills
    Deeds
    Hospital records
    Criminal records
    Bankruptcy records
    How to genealogical primers
    Maps
    Gazetteers
    Trade journals
    History books (trace migrations)
    The International Genealogical Index (IGI)
    Ancestral File
    Pedigree File
    Many CD's with vital statistics records
    Microfilms
    Microfiches

Publish your findings
    Send copies to relatives
    Publish your own Family History
    Donate your family file to the Ancestral File
    Make your work available to Genealogical Societies

Help others
    Join a Genealogical Society
    Join a genealogical link 
    Help make cemetery/grave stone records available
    Help extract and enter data from original records
 

© 2001, Dale Lee

About the author:
Dale Lee is a computer consultant who has been involved in Genealogy for over 12 years. For information on how to publish your own Family History or book manuscript, please visit http://www.LeeSysInfo.com.