User:Nolaneclark/sandbox 2

Starting Research in a Digitized Online Era
This is wonderful time to begin family history research. Every week, new resources are made available online.

For an introduction to online research, watch a 5 minute video: Find a Record in Five Minutes.

Now go to familysearch.org and try to find an online record of one of your ancestors.

Gather Family Resources
Before attempting further online research, gather the information that is closest to you. Your home and family are inportant sources of family history.

Start with your immediate family. Remember the basic principle: Work from the known to the unknown.

For tips in obtaining family history information from relatives, watch the 5 minute video: Learn from Family.

Gather items that are sources of family history, such as:


 * Birth, marriage, and death certificates,
 * Family Bibles
 * Family records
 * Journals, diaries, and letters
 * Old photographs
 * Obituaries and newspaper clippings

In your quest for information, go beyond your immediate family. It is likely that your second cousin, great-aunt, or other relative already has some family information.

Organize Your Information
Now that you have started to gather information, it is critical that you organize that information. For an introduction, watch the 5 minute video: Record What You Know. For an overview, use the lesson on Getting Starting in Family History Research.

For written informaton, review the article on the use of Appropriate Forms. For more detailed guidance in the preparation and use of family group records, see Family group record: roadmap for researchers.

Information can be organized most effectively by using computer genealogy software. See Organize the New Records. For free Windows genealogy software, see Windows Genealogy Software. For free Mac genealogy software, see Mac Genealogy Software.

Search Existing Genealogy Collections
To avoid duplication of effort, find out what compiled records already exist in genealogy collections. Be cautious in using compiled records, particularly records that do not cite sources.

Value of Census Records
Every individual exists within a family. The best records containing information about entire families are the census records. With on-line census indexes available, census records are the easiest say to locate where ancestors lived during census years. Census records can also be used to:


 * Follow the family over time;
 * Determine family relationships;
 * Obtain details about lives of ancestors; and
 * Find clues to locate other records.

Availability of Census Records
The federal census began in 1790. In 1850, the census records began to show all individuals living in a household. Other than the 1890 census, which was destroyed by fire, census records are publicly available through the 1930 census. The 1940 census records will be available in 2012.

Many states had state censuses, generally five years after the federal census. For information about and, in many cases, access to state census records, go to Historical Record Collections and check the index by state.

Guidance in the Use of Census Records
For guidance in the use of United States census records see United States Census and United States, How to Use Census Records. For a good introductory film on the use of census records, see Ancesters Season 2:Census Records.

Indexes to Census Records
The starting point for searching census records are the United States Census Indexes. At FamilySearch.org, one can obtain free access to indexed census records for the 1850 census, the 1860 census, the 1870 census, the 1880 census, the 1900 census, the 1910 census, the 1920 census and the 1930 census. For access to census records before 1850, see United States Census Indexes.

Obtain Vital Records
As you seek to identify and document your ancestors, you always want to look for primary sources. The most critical events in the lives an individual are birth, marriage and death. Thus, the most reliable family histories rely, whenever possible, on birth, marriage and death record (otherwise known as vital records).

Research Wiki articles discuss the history and use of United States Vital Records and the means to locate United States Vital Records.

Increasingly, states are digitizing their vital records and making them available online. They are available on the FamilySearch Record Collection. For indexes and, in some cases digitzed records, go to Historical Records Collection and check the index by state.