box of old photos used for tracing your family history

Are you interested in researching your genealogy but not sure where to start tracing your family history? Janine Adams is here today with some great tips to show you where to begin and how to organize your information.

My Genealogy Journey

I became fascinated by family history research about ten years ago, and I jumped in with gusto. I joined Ancestry.com and consulted FamilySearch.org, the genealogy website of the Mormon Church, and I got out my pencil and began filling out four-generation pedigree charts like crazy. It was such a thrill to trace my lines back to the Mayflower.

Then life got in the way, and I stopped working on family history research. When I decided to pick it up again about a year ago, I looked at all those hand-written charts and became overwhelmed. The trouble was, I hadn’t stopped to question whether the data I was collecting were accurate. I didn’t check for sources. And that cast doubt over everything.

So I’m starting over, not believing anything on those charts (though they often provide some vital clues to explore). And I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. Finding proof of the information I’d uncovered before feels great. (And it also feels good when I discover mistakes on those charts.)

Based on my experience, this is what I tell people who ask how to get started doing family history research.

How to Start Tracing Your Family History

  1. Talk to family members, especially older ones. Our older relatives are a gold mine of information. Talk with them while you can. The human memory being what it is, that information needs to be verified. But they can provide a wonderful starting point. Try to get a sense of where their parents and grandparents lived and when they were born and died. Ask about marriages and see if you can ferret out any family lore. Oh, how I wish I’d quizzed my parents ten years ago. They’re still pretty sharp, but now, as octogenarians, they tire easily, and their memories aren’t as strong. I plan to quiz them this summer when I visit, now that I’ve uncovered a few mysteries.
  2. Go online to see what info is out there. But don’t do what I did and take everything at face value. Instead, use censuses, passenger manifests, newspaper articles, and vital records online to see what you can find out based on your information. (Down the road, you might want to travel to track down records in courthouses, cemeteries, etc.)
  3. Don’t believe everything you read. If you’re looking at the information supplied by other users, make sure it has a source attached to it and verify that source. Understand that censuses can have misleading information because the info is only as good as the person who supplied it. That’s why it is valuable to look at several censuses over a person’s life.
  4. Document meticulously. When you find some verified information, write it down and say where you found it. Trust me; you won’t remember later. The thing about family history research is that the number of people you’re keeping track of multiplies as you go up the branches of your family tree. It’s impossible to remember everything. If you find contradictions down the line, you’ll be happy to have the sources to check again. Use software or a good paper system to keep everything in order. (I organize my family history electronically.)
  5. Be systematic. Start with yourself; add your parents, then grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Fill in cousins as you find them. When I began again in earnest, I bought some software (I use Reunion for the Mac), and only enter verified data. And until I can connect someone with another person on my tree through a record like a census, vital document, or other verified record, that person doesn’t get added. It gives me confidence that I’m growing my family tree with a solid foundation.

About today’s guest blogger:

Learn more about Janine Adams.


Want more organization + inspiration? Continue reading Managing Modern Life® articles.