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 search for an online record of one of your ancestors. Tips to remember as you search:


 * Look for someone who was born before 1930.
 * For you initial search, just enter the first and last names of the person.
 * If your search yields too many names, narrow the search by adding a location and a time period to your search criteria.

Gather Family Resources
You might not be able to conduct the introductory search for a record because you don't know the name of an ancestor born before 1930. In that event, you should interview relatives to learn more about you immediate ancestors.

Even if you did find an online record of an ancestor, you should not ordinarily attempt further online research until you have gathered the information closer to you - for the following reasons:


 * You want to lay a solid foundation for further online research; you want to be certain that you are relying upon accurate information.
 * Because of privacy concerns, few online records are available for living persons.
 * Family resources can provide information about recent ancestors.

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

As you interview relatives, 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
As you start to gather information, it is critical to organize that information. For an introduction, watch the 5 minute video: Record What You Know. For a more comprehensive overview, view the 12 minute lesson on Getting Starting in Family History Research.

For more detailed guidance regarding preparation and use of family group records, see the article Family group record: roadmap for researchers.

Family history Information is organized most effectively by using computer genealogy software. For links to Windows genealogy software, see Windows Genealogy Software. For links to Mac genealogy software, see Mac Genealogy Software.

As you begin your research, you should organize and record your research efforts by using research logs. For guidance, watch the 21 minute lecture: Research Logs.

Search Existing Genealogy Collections
To avoid duplication of effort, determine what compiled records already exist in genealogy collections.

To locate compiled records on FamilySearch, select the Trees tab. This will provide an index to submitted pedigrees contained within Ancestral File or Pedigree Research Files.

Be cautious in using compiled records, particularly records that do not cite sources. Compiled records contain many errors. They should not be accepted as fact unless supported by reliable sources., but may point you in the right direction.

Do not be discouraged if you find many compiled records without source citations. Remember:


 * Each undocumented compiled record provides a clue for further research.
 * Don't try to research every line; select a particular ancestor for further research.
 * You can learn how to coordinate your research with others.

Begin Your Research with Census and Vital Records
For each ancestor whom you choose to research, your starting points are to:


 * 1) Document key events in the ancestor's life: date and location of birth, marriage and death.
 * 2) Place the individual ancestor in a family setting.

To accomplish these goals, your key starting points are census records and vital records.

Value of Census Records
The best records containing information about entire families are the census records. With on-line census indexes available, census records provide the easiest means 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. From 1850, census records 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.

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.

Online Images of Census Records
Free online images of United States census records are available from the Internet Archive of the Allan County Public Library. To locate the appropriate census records, note the year, state, county and enumeration district from the census index. This information will allow you to narrow down your search for the images of the original census.

Extracting Information from Census Records
To extract information from census records, you can download census worksheets.

Remember to check out every census on which you expect to find an ancestor.

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).

Consult Research Wiki articles that 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. Many such records are available on the FamilySearch Record Collection. For indexes and, in some cases, digitized records, go to Historical Records Collection and check the index by state.