by Lenna Gonya

Created on: November 24, 2009   Last Updated: November 27, 2009

When doing genealogy, you have to remember that the people you are researching were more than just names. They were your ancestors, and they probably had very interesting lives. So, once you find out what their names were, you can begin to learn who they really were.

The only way to begin your genealogy is at the very basic level, so, you need to start with yourself, and your parents.

Go online and look for free printable family tree charts and begin to fill in the details of everyone's life.

Find out your parent's full names, dates of birth, places of birth, siblings, etc. A great many people go by a different name that they have adopted through the years, either because they didn't like their name, or someone else in the family had the same one. Make sure you have their complete names. You will not find them in legal papers or other documents under nicknames.

Now, do the same with both sets of grandparents, and so on as far back as anyone can remember. Be sure to ask where each one was born, what state, county, or country. And, if they can recall an immigration time, what port they arrived at, and from what country.

Medical records are important. If you have copies of death certificates, so much the better. If you don't, these records, along with birth and marriage records are available in most counties at the county seats. There are also several good resources online that may have them.

Be sure to also record family stories. They may not always be accurate, but they give valuable information about the lives of your ancestors. And, genealogy should be more than a cluster of names and dates. Record these stories, if you can. It's easy to forget important details later on.

Do go over picture albums with family members. Make sure the photos are labeled and dated, and make copies that you can keep in your own files.

No genealogist winces at the thought of spending hours tromping through cemeteries. Find out where the ancestors were laid to rest. Look around and find matching surnames in the vicinity, and you might just find more relatives for the family tree.

With the Internet, genealogy has become easier and faster than ever, and two very important sites to visit are Rootsweb and, the LDS site, Family Search. Both of these are easily accessible, and after you type in your family name, you might just find out that someone else is researching your family as well.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

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