Top 5 Getting Started Tips by Teach Me Genealogy
Start Organized, Start Talking, Start Documenting, Start Researching, Start Sharing
- Start Organized: The best way to keep your Genealogy all in one place is to start organized with these simple materials & programs:
- Mead Large 5 Star Notebook: Contains 200 pages and 8 pockets. Use this for taking notes while you research or interview relatives, and use the pockets for holding your historical documents and family records.
- Software: To grow your family tree. Here's one of the FREE software programs I use; PAF 5 from the Family Search Website. Download PAF 5 here: www.familysearch.org/products
- A Storage Box: For holding all your acquired Family History.
- Start Talking: Call or email; mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins or friends to get you started. I found that men are better at remembering stories from events and women are better at remembering names, dates & places. So use both to get a full detailed record of your family history. As you are talking, make sure you are documenting all these details in your notebook or software program.
- Start Documenting: Use your notebook and PAF 5 or other genealogy software to document the details of your ancestors while you are accumulating priceless information.
- Start Researching: Unless you have a family Bible with generations of records, you'll need the Internet to launch you into the next step; research. Here’s our top 10 websites that we use and highly recommend to all: (click on the link to visit the site).
- www.tmgenealogy.com
- www.ancestry.com*
- www.findagrave.com
- www.familysearch.org
- www.google.com
- www.new.familysearch.org
- www.archives.com*
- www.usgenweb.org
- www.onegreatfamily.com*
- www.houseofnames.com
- Start Sharing: Once you’ve recorded your family history, print it out and share it with all your family members, including distant relatives. It's not only a priceless gift, but you are educating your family on your heritage. Knowledge is everything!
Click here to print this pdf document >>
Great tips! Thanks for all your freebies, this site is great!
ReplyThank you Sarah. This site is really most encouraging. I look forward to using it to full advantage. Love your family photo. What a wonderful gift to share your work on genealogy with all who are searching for their family stories. Kathleen
ReplyThank you Kathleen for your kind words. I feel honored to be helping others. It's a great work!!
What is the best way to access records in Europe (Belgium and Holland). I keep running into blocks of ancestry.com, requiring membership.
Reply