09/24/2026
🌳 10 Tips for Starting Your Family History Research
Start with yourself
Record your full name, birth date and place, then work backwards through your parents and grandparents.
Talk to older relatives
Ask parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles what they remember. Their stories can provide clues that records can't.
Write down everything you know
Names, nicknames, dates, places, occupations, marriages, deaths and migration stories can all become valuable clues.
Collect family documents
Look for birth, marriage and death certificates, old passports, letters, diaries, photographs, military records and newspaper clippings.
Don't trust every family story
Family legends are valuable clues—but verify them against historical records.
Record maiden names
Women's maiden names can be especially important for tracing earlier generations.
Pay attention to places
A town, farm, street, church, cemetery or immigration port can help unlock an entire branch of your family tree.
Search one generation at a time
Avoid jumping too far back. Confirm each person's identity before moving to the previous generation.
Keep track of your sources
Record where you found every piece of information so you can check it later and distinguish fact from assumption.
Expect surprises!
Family history can uncover unexpected occupations, migrations, marriages, adoptions, scandals, tragedies—and fascinating stories.
🌿 Remember: You're not just building a family tree—you’re discovering the people behind the names.
