| Genealogy is the study of family history and | | | | geographical or political barriers and the free |
| ancestry of an individual. Put simply, a genealogist | | | | availability of information. If you need to research |
| studies and traces a family tree through the | | | | a branch of your family tree in another country, |
| generations, including as much information about | | | | this can prove to be the most effective or |
| the members of the family and ancestors as | | | | sometimes the only tool you can use. Through |
| possible. Tracing family histories is never easy and | | | | on-line peer to peer networking, you can also ask |
| genealogical studies are very diverse. Therefore, | | | | other people for help in getting information-- this |
| as a genealogist, you will need to use a variety of | | | | interaction can form another great source of data |
| tools and methods to find out relationships | | | | and ideas. Such kind of volunteerism is becoming |
| between individuals and build a family tree. Here | | | | quite common and genealogists all over the world |
| are sources of information you'll need to use to | | | | are connecting to help each other. Just make sure |
| properly conduct a genealogical study. | | | | to validate such information to make your |
| Living relatives: This is always the first place to | | | | research credible. It is also good to remember |
| start to build your family tree. First, track all your | | | | that you will not find everything online-- you will |
| living relatives and then ask them for people they | | | | probably still need to make that trip to the library |
| know of. This will give you quite a lot of | | | | or the courthouse. |
| information about your family. Taking the time to | | | | Genetic analysis: This is a recent trend that is fast |
| explore the family's past with your relatives is an | | | | catching on among genealogists. This testing has |
| invaluable first research step, as they can help | | | | huge potential but its scope is currently limited. In |
| you with details such as family stories, family | | | | addition, this process doesn't guarantee anything. |
| photographs, etc. | | | | All it tells us is the probability that two individuals |
| Historical records: The next step is to look for the | | | | are related and to what probable extent, though it |
| details of your family in officially maintained | | | | can detect very close relations accurately (but |
| records and other databases maintained by | | | | this is seldom required). This, however, remains a |
| credible sources. This includes birth and death | | | | hot field with lots of potential for the future. |
| records, tax records, census data, church data, | | | | Genealogy is incredibly fun and rewarding. It also |
| cemetery databases, land records, etc. Such kinds | | | | requires good research skills, patience and, above |
| of databases are a storehouse of genealogical | | | | all, passion and interest. Recent advances in the |
| information and will provide you with a great | | | | availability of information and in collection methods |
| amount of information about your ancestors. This | | | | have made it much easier than ever before to |
| is by far the most commonly used source of | | | | research and build a family tree. So if you want |
| data and information in building family trees. | | | | to start on this wonderful journey, there is never |
| Online sources: It is much easier to search for | | | | a better time to start then now. |
| records maintained online due to a lack of | | | | |