| Family History and Genealogy - Getting Started | | | | to make life a lot easier for you! If you want free |
| Genealogy and family history research have really | | | | software Personal Ancestral File known as PAF is |
| become popular pastimes recently due to the | | | | a good basic one to get started with. If you want |
| Internet and peoples ability to access a vast | | | | some good software that does a bit more, you |
| amount of information with relative ease. | | | | may be best to try something like Family Tree |
| The aim of my article is to give a little guidance | | | | Maker for around $40.00. Now you need to install |
| to people starting out in their search for long lost | | | | your software, and start entering all the |
| ancestors. There is so much information online | | | | information you have collected from the Family |
| today that it is extremely easy to suffer from | | | | Group Sheets. If any of the information you have |
| information overload. | | | | is in doubt, you should try to get it properly |
| My own interest in genealogy began in 1998 after | | | | verified before entering it as fact. |
| my father suddenly passed away. His mother had | | | | Online Search For Your Ancestors |
| also passed away only 8 months earlier at the | | | | Next you should start your online search for your |
| age of 108. If only I had started this earlier! I | | | | family. Just do a Google search on your surname |
| guess I felt that a lot of our history had already | | | | or an ancestors name and see what comes up. |
| been lost forever. It was time for me to take | | | | You may find that there is already a lot of |
| action to ensure that the rest of our family | | | | information out there. Thousands of people have |
| history could get recorded while elderly members | | | | already posted family trees to the Internet, and if |
| were still around to help me. | | | | you want to find out what is available for free |
| Before you start doing any online research, I | | | | just do a search on "free genealogy information" |
| would suggest that you note down exactly what | | | | and see what comes up. There are many |
| information you already have access to. Old | | | | genealogy membership sites that offer 7 or 14 |
| photos, letters and documents are a wonderful | | | | Day Free Trials and you can access millions of |
| way to get started. | | | | names. If you are happy with a membership site |
| Do Interviews with Elderly Family Members | | | | and do not mind paying a fee, this is certainly a |
| Take your old photos around to your elderly | | | | good option. |
| relatives and friends to get the people in them | | | | I am finding that more and more cemeteries are |
| identified, and to find out a little bit of information | | | | making burial registers available online, which again |
| on them. You will find that old people love to | | | | is a very good resource which you can use in |
| reminisce about the past and these old photos | | | | your ancestry search. |
| are just the thing to get them started. Perhaps | | | | National archives often offer free searches of |
| even use an audio or video recorder to keep a | | | | public records like births, deaths and marriages |
| permanent record of these discussions. While you | | | | and you should take full advantage of it. Some |
| are talking to them find out if they have any old | | | | may ask for a small fee, which is very reasonable |
| photos and documents that you may not have | | | | in most cases. Many newspapers have now been |
| seen before, ask if you can take copies. | | | | archived online, and you can often find out some |
| Family Group Sheet | | | | wonderful information from them. Certainly births, |
| A "Family Group Sheet" is a great resource to | | | | deaths, and marriages are often announced in |
| have when interviewing your family. Basically it is | | | | newspapers, and local newspapers often include a |
| a document to record the details of a particular | | | | detailed obituary on a well known local identity. |
| family group (Husband, Wife and children). If you | | | | Naturally if you would like to get a copy of a |
| do a Google search for it you will easily find one | | | | birth, death or marriage certificate the payment |
| that you can download or print. This will record | | | | of a fee will be a requirement. |
| birth dates, death dates, marriage dates and allow | | | | Certainly there is a huge amount of information |
| you to have your information properly | | | | out there just waiting for you to discover it, and |
| documented. You can even get your relatives to | | | | this will continue to grow over the coming years. |
| fill it out themselves. You can email it or post it | | | | I hope that my small article has helped you in |
| and just ask if they can please fill it out and send | | | | some way, and that you will enjoy your |
| it back to you. | | | | genealogical adventure of researching your family |
| Genealogy Software | | | | and your ancestors. If you want more detailed |
| At this stage I would suggest that you get some | | | | information on anything, please go to my link at |
| genealogy software, because you really need this | | | | the bottom of this article. |