5 Ways to Start Researching Your Family History

[Sheldon Hudson]

I've been researching my family history for over 20 years and I've
learned a lot. When I started out I didn't really have any family
members to ask. We were pretty much estranged from them. My dad passed
on first and then later when my mom died I was sorting her paperwork
and came across my parents' marriage certificate. It not only gave
their wedding date, but the place and their parents names and places
of birth. What a windfall! From that information I traced my dad's
side of the family back to the late 1700's.
Before the explosion of information via the internet I had to go to
the Church of the Latter Day Saints ( the Mormon Church) to get census
information. At the local Family History center I ordered reels of
census records. These were on micrfiche and mainly hand written. With
the use of a magnifying glass I would go through reels and reels until
I thought my eyeballs would fall out of their sockets. You'll know
what I mean if you go to some of these older records. Many of the
census takers couldn't understand a foreigner's pronunciation of names
so they just spelled the last name as they thought it sounded. Our
last name went from Mulvany to Mulvanny to Mulvaney. Look at the
children's names every ten years of censuses to identify your family.
These days it's so much easier! Many search site have what they call
"Soundex" which gives you names that sound like a surname. Here are
some of the best resources out there:
1 - Get it at home. Start with birth certificates, death certificates,
marriage certificates and family bible. Go to a family reunion and
start talking to anyone who may have already researched your family
history. Springboard from there.
2- Start organizing your tree by purchasing "family tree maker" at
www.ancestry.com If you're truly serious about the research and need
resources outside you famile circle, purchase the full boat at
ancestry. It's about $150/yr., but gives you access to an incredible
amount of information including Social Security Death Index (SSDI).
Just go to the home page and see the records you will have available
to you.
3- Try various websites that pertain directly to your nationality.
type in a search engine i.e., "irish roots".
4-Google it. Just put in a last name and see what comes up. You never
know...
5- If you do find a possible contact, stick with it until you find
that you're really not related.
Good luck and get started!