If you’ve ever been on Ancestry.com or you’ve seen clips from Finding Your Roots, you may have
thought “I wish I could see my family tree, but where do I start?”
Through my own family research of over fifteen years, I have put together some ideas that will help you
on this REWARDING JOURNEY!
1. Look for family heirlooms and documents
Next time you’re at your parents’ or grandparent’s house, ask to take a look at/borrow their older family
photos, family bibles, records (e.g. birth and death certificates), etc. Having these materials will be
helpful for you to cross-reference with your research and family stories.
2. Interview the oldest members of your family
Ask to interview the oldest family members from the family you want to research. While this may be
one of your grandparents, it may also be a great aunt or uncle, or even a great-great grandparent.
Interview them using a template to help ensure you collect a wide variety of details and make sure to
take notes on your computer or digitize your notes, so you can easily search the data and review the
information in the future.
3. Create a pedigree chart and timelines
Once you have some details on your family history, it’s critical to start mapping out how your various
relatives connect. You’ll start to mix up dates and locations, so I would recommend using a fan chart.
4. Choose a platform or software to house your research
You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll outgrow your fan chart, though it will continue to be a helpful
reference point. To continue to stay organized, you’ll ultimately want to house all of the records
digitally. This will help you update your findings more efficiently and house the countless number of
records that you’ll find for your ancestors.
I like Ancestry, which you can use for free if you’re only housing records, but you can access their
records library if you subscribe. You can also create a free account and use their records for free at
Family Search.
5. Start researching your youngest family members
If you’ve heard you’re related to a celebrity, historic figure, or a family member who came over on the
Mayflower, it can be tempting to start researching that family member and work your way down to you.
However, you may be starting with incorrect information from your family, and it’s harder to trace and
cross reference your relatives if you start in the middle. To ensure you trace the correct bloodline, start
with yourself and work your way “up” (e.g. you, your dad, grandfather, great grandfather, etc). By
establishing your research with an inductive approach, you’ll start with data/observations, and then
begin to support the theory of the relationship. For instance, if you’ve traced your lineage to your 3 rd
great grandfather, and you’re looking for his father, don’t find a likely relative and jump to conclusions
based on family lore or a single source. Instead, first research as many available sources as you can find
(e.g. census records, death certificates, marriage certificates), and then come to a conclusion of who the
most likely father is.
6. Join your local genealogy or historical society
Joining a local genealogy or historical society can be extremely helpful, as they can share access to
classes and resources, and help you brainstorm roadblocks in your research (which are inevitable). More
interestingly, the society may have exclusive resources which may be valuable in researching a family
member in the area where the society is based.
What I’ve loved about studying my family history is that it’s something that both you and your family
members will value. If may feel overwhelming to start, but you’ll soon see how fulfilling the research
process can be! No, you won’t look like Charlie Day, but you will have fun and find some interesting connections!
