Record Keeping

There is a group of printable forms on this website to help you organize your research and keep track of your information sources. This is important; after hours of research, it will be difficult to remember where you have already looked. Always write down the sources you checked, even if you didn't find anything. Keep all of your charts and forms together in a binder along with your collected research material. Fill out the forms using pencil, the information you enter early in your course of inquiry may change considerably as you conduct further research. Initially, put any information that you can on the forms; this will give you an idea of areas you need to explore. Keep track of your questions; it's a good idea to keep scratch paper handy to jot ideas down as they come to you, so you can follow up on them later. As you begin your research, remember the basic rules of genealogy. Start with yourself and work backwards through each generation. Work from the known to the unknown. Write down what you find and where you found it: which institution, collection of records, volume and page number.

Family history, hobby, obsession or profession

The great thing about family history is that there is something for all levels. If you have plenty of time so much the better but if you don’t, you can still achieve a lot by being organized and focused in your family history research. One way to progress if you have limited time is to create a family history plan to motivate you. It’s really just your commitment to yourself that you will try and achieve certain things by a certain date.

The backs of photos as sources of family history

Try asking various family members to gather family photo albums out check for information including, names, dates and places where your ancestors may have been. You never know what family history you might find on the back of an old photo. This can provide you with a new route for your family history investigations

Sources of family history information on the internet

The family history resources page has reference to where you will find links to some of the top genealogy sites on the internet. These links are great for beginners. Featured are major links and surname sites, genealogy tools and services, coats of arms and family crests, new and used books, CDs, software, web rings, search engines, message boards, chat, genealogy shopping and much more.