✓ You have a little experience in genealogy and some experience with computers, but you want to find out how to put them together.
✓ You’re an experienced genealogist or family historian and you’re looking for ways to make your research more efficient.
You can have a lot of computer experience and be a novice to genealogy or online genealogy and still benefit from this book. In this case, you may want to dive right into the chapters about strategies for finding online resources.
Icons Used in This Book
To help you get the most out of this book, we created some icons that tell you at a glance whether a section or paragraph has important information of a particular kind.
Beyond the Book
In addition to what you’re reading right now, this product also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that includes a description of how to use Helm’s Genealogy Toolbox as well as discussions of genealogy myths, charts, and forms, among other things. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and enter Genealogy For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
Depending on where you’re reading this introduction, your next step is one of the following:
✓ You need to go to the front of the bookstore and pay for this book so that you can take it home and use it.
✓ If you’ve already bought the book and you’re at home (or wherever), you can go ahead and start reading in depth, following the steps for the online activities in the book as they come along.
We don’t expect you to read this book from cover to cover, in the order we wrote it. It definitely doesn’t hurt our feelings knowing you may skip through the sections looking for only the information that you’re interested in at a particular moment! Each section in each chapter can stand alone. If we think something relevant in another section can supplement your knowledge on a specific topic, we provide a note or reference telling you the other place(s) we think you should look. However, we tried hard to do this referencing in a manner that isn’t obnoxious to those of you who choose to read the book from cover to cover. We hope we’ve succeeded in addressing both types of readers!
Now that we’ve explained a bit about the book, are you ready to get started and to become an official genealogist? You might be asking yourself, “What are the requirements for becoming an official genealogist?” You simply need an interest in your ancestry and a willingness to devote time to pursuing information and documents. It’s time to dive in and start collecting the puzzle pieces of your family history and remember to have fun!
Part 1
Getting Started with Genealogy
IN THIS PART …
Learn how to use information that you know about yourself to create a timeline of your life.
Discover how items around the house can jump-start your genealogical journey.
Locate large collections of records that you can use to find details on the lives of your ancestors.
Learn how census records can be used to track the movements of your ancestors every ten years.
Discover how you can use primary sources to find the details of your ancestors’ lives.
Chapter 1
Beginning Your Ancestral Journey
IN THIS CHAPTER
Ready to dive into your family history? We certainly hope so! The best way to learn how to research is to jump right into it. We help you find the resources you need to be successful along the way.
If you’re new to genealogy, we strongly suggest that you begin your journey with this chapter. (That’s why we made it Chapter 1.) In this chapter, we walk you through the basics of recording genealogical data by starting with a very familiar person – you! We explore different methods of recording your research so you can see which way is best for you. Also, throughout the chapter, we provide some tried-and-true advice to keep you out of genealogical “hot water” in the future.
It’s About Time(line)
Regardless of what your spouse thinks, we’re convinced that you know you best! You know your birth date, place of birth, parents’ names, and where you’ve lived. (We recognize that not everyone knows all this information; adoptions or other circumstances may require you to do the best you can with what you know until you can discover additional information about yourself.) Knowing some things about yourself, it’s time to start recording the events of your life and to start learning the good research skills that help you delve into the lives of others. An easy way to see your life at a glance is with a timeline. A timeline is a simple way to show the events of your life chronologically.
When working on your timeline, we recommend beginning with current events and working back through your life. This is the method you’ll likely use when researching an ancestor. First, note the basics: the dates you were married, started a job, or moved to your current house or apartment. Then move back to your last residence, occupation, and so on until you arrive at your birth date. Make sure you include milestones such as children’s birth dates, marriage dates, military service dates, educational experience, religious events, participation in organizations and sports, and other significant events in your life. If you prefer, you can cover your life by beginning with your birth and working forward to the present. Either way is fine, as long as you list all the important events.
You have several ways to store your timeline. Some people prefer to start with index cards, placing one event on each card. If you want to use a digital tool, you can store notes in a product such as Evernote (www.evernote.com) or Microsoft’s OneNote (www.onenote.com). Of course, there are products specifically designed to help you create a timeline. If you are somewhat computer savvy and like to keep your timeline on your computer, you can use products such as Timeline Maker Pro (www.timelinemaker.com)