| There are many people that have taken up | | | | use the internet to visit genealogy forums and |
| genealogy for their hobby. It is interesting and fun | | | | family history sites. One of the best resources |
| to discover who your ancestors were and to | | | | for researching your ancestors is the internet. |
| have the ability to trace your history back as far | | | | As you use your home computer you may |
| into history as is possible. As you begin | | | | decide that using genealogy software is useful to |
| researching your family tree, it will be very helpful | | | | you. You can get free versions or may decide to |
| to have the correct genealogy supplies. You | | | | go with one that costs money and has more |
| should at least have a way to take notes that | | | | options. The software can assist in keeping you |
| you can refer to easily later. You can use a simple | | | | organized. There are some versions of the |
| notebook and a pen. Be sure to take exact notes | | | | software that will allow you to cross reference |
| as you interview family members about the prior | | | | your data against the data that their other |
| generations that they can remember. You may | | | | customers have put together which can assist |
| want to bring a recorder and record the | | | | you in filling in any gaps that may be in your |
| conversations that you have with elderly relatives. | | | | research. |
| You can even find genealogy forms that will assist | | | | Having a printer is also a very nice tool to have |
| you in organizing your information. You can | | | | access to so you can print out files that you |
| download these forms on the internet or find | | | | discover when you are doing internet research. |
| them in books written about how to conduct | | | | Your hard drive can crash at any time. It would |
| your family research. The forms include family | | | | be very aggravating to lose all of your information |
| data forms, census extraction forms, time lines, | | | | after spending months of hard work. If you make |
| cemetery records, pedigree charts, and | | | | the time to print out the most important |
| correspondence logs. You will also need to have a | | | | documents then you will at least have some |
| filing system to assist you in keeping all of your | | | | record of what you have put together. |
| papers and documents safe and organized. You | | | | An even better decision would be to back up |
| could use an accordion file or a filling cabinet that | | | | your digital files on a CD, DVD, or zip drive. Check |
| is specifically for your research. | | | | to see if the genealogy software that you use |
| A scanner is a very useful tool to have access to | | | | might offer extra storage space on their site. You |
| as it will assist you by making digital copies of all | | | | ISP or another service may be able to offer you |
| of your files. It will also allow you make copies of | | | | some extra storage space that lets you store |
| the pictures and pictures that may belong to | | | | and upload the files so they will be protected in |
| family members that want their precious pictures | | | | the event that your computer should crash. |
| and documents returned to them. As you begin | | | | Having a magnifying glass around also comes in |
| working with photographs, be sure to apply labels | | | | handy when you are studying old photographs |
| to them so you can remember who the subjects | | | | and documents. Old records can be difficult to |
| are. Label them as you remove them from the | | | | make sense of and having a magnifying glass |
| scanner or as you put them into your filing | | | | available might allow you to make out certain |
| system. Keep the older documents and | | | | dates or words. |
| photographs safely so that you will have them to | | | | You should also have an email address that you |
| show the future generations. The papers and files | | | | can dedicate strictly to your family history |
| you purchase should be acid free and designated | | | | research so that you can store all of your |
| for archival or preservation. | | | | correspondence in that one place. You can get a |
| Having a library card can prove to be another | | | | free email account from many different places on |
| useful item that is in your supplies. The library can | | | | the net. That will give a reference point to the |
| be a wonderful help as you begin to research | | | | people that you will meet on a genealogy forum if |
| your family tree. You may have the ability to | | | | they want to contact you with information. |
| search many databases at the library and some | | | | A distant relative that is also doing a family |
| that you are not able to access anywhere else. | | | | history research project will discover your email |
| You may also be able to access reference books | | | | address and will contact you out of the blue. You |
| that include official documents and records of the | | | | will discover that researching your family tree is a |
| areas in question. The library can also be used as | | | | lot of fun and can be very rewarding too. Once |
| a backup source of internet access in case you | | | | you have the correct genealogy supplies, the |
| have something happen to your home computer | | | | process will be a whole lot more efficient as well. |
| or you happen to lose internet access. You can | | | | |