Heritage Album

What are the steps to doing Genealogy, to trace your family tree? What is the first,second third step etc?

I want to get into the DAR.

Public Comments

1. 1. START WITH YOURSELF, and using documents at all times... verify your parents; then grandparents, creating a solid chain back. 2. You are not searching a surname. You are searching exact persons and relationships... this keeps you from getting sidetracked. Be flexible with what you are told by family, since memory is not always reliable. Did I mention DOCUMENT? 3. WWW.CYNDISLIST.COM is your friend. Thousands of sites. Not all are free. Don't expect it all to be free. Don't expect it all online. Don't expect live persons online. Did I mention, DOCUMENT? 4. WE are free. We are normally friendly, and love to get others sucked into.. uh.. enticed into.. this obsession, and the points are fun too.. but most of the regulars are not about points but the pleasure of helping. ok.. that is 4, I cheated. Did I mention DOCUMENTS?
2. Steps? I will simplify: only one step...Search, search, search. So, try these: You should start by asking all your living relatives about family history. Then, armed with that information, you can go to your public library and check to see if it has a genealogy department. Most do nowadays; also, don't forget to check at community colleges, universities, etc. Our public library has both www.ancestry.com and www.heritagequest.com free for anyone to use (no library card required). Another place to check out is any of the Mormon's Family History Centers. They allow people to search for their family history (and, NO, they don't try to convert you). A third option is one of the following websites: http://www.searchforancestors.com/... http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=2739... www dot usgenweb dot com/ www dot census dot gov/ http://www.rootsweb.com/ www dot ukgenweb dot com/ www dot archives dot gov/ http://www.familysearch.org/ http://www.accessgenealogy.com/... http://www.cyndislist.com/ www dot geni dot com/ Cyndi's has the most links to genealogy websites, whether ship's passenger lists, ancestors from Africa, ancestors from the Philippines, where ever and whatever. Of course, you may be successful by googling: "john doe, born 1620, plimouth, massachusetts" as an example. Good luck and have fun! Check out this article on five great free genealogy websites: www dot associatedcontent dot com/article... Then there is the DNA test; if you decide you want to REALLY know where your ancestors came from opt for the DNA test. Besides all the mistakes that officials commonly make, from 10% to 20% of birth certificates list the father wrong; that is, mama was doing the hanky-panky and someone else was the REAL father. That won't show up on the internet or in books; it WILL show up in DNA. I used www.familytreedna.com which works with the National Geographics Genotype Program.
3. You need a place to store the information you collect. http://www.familysearch.org is a free site, where you can learn the basics of genealogy and create an "electronic" family tree. Simply register and follow the easy instructions. Remember to, always, back up your electronic tree in gedcom format. Take advantage of the free printable charts, as they will help you manage the information you collect. Use the family group data worksheet to collect information from family members (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins), Census, birth, marriage, death and military records, family Bibles, obituaries, rememberance cards from funerals, gravestones, etc. Ask family members if they know of anyone who has created a tree of your family(s). Chances are a relative has already charted a tree. Perhaps he/she would be willing to share their findings. If so, offer to pay for copying. Most people won't accept payment, but they do appreciate the offer. While collecting info, remember to collect photos, as well. http://www.rootsweb.com is a free Q&A forum, owned by ancestry.com. You can post queries and search the message boards for info. Most libraries have a subscription to a genealogy site, which is free. Some libraries require a library card to use the computers. The LDS (Mormon) Church has Family History Centers, which are also free to the public. Call the LDS Church in your area for days and hours of operation. Have any of your blood relatives joined DAR? You can apply, using their Revolutionary Soldiers info, as long as the two of you share that soldier as an ancestor. I was able to join, via a distant cousin's research.
4. Contact the D.A.R. chapter near you and let them know you would like to join. Many Chapters have genealogist who are able to assist you and lead you in the direction for your research. You will need to collect documentation that proves each step. First step is your Birth Certificate. Then for each ancestor you will need a copy of Birth Certificate or other record that proves birth Marriage Certificate Death Certificate or other record that proves death Census pages will also help If you have a Family Bible with dates of birth, marriage and death that can be used as well. You will need to copy the Title Page of the Bible, every page that has family information and if the Title page does not have a copyright date you will the page with the copyright date. If there is a Genealogy Society near your home you should join that as well. The search for ancestors and the proof that you need to join the D A R may requir visiting many locations where the records are stored. May be a Court House, a State Archives, or Library. The best advice is to Start with what you know and work backwards as you find records for each ancestor.