Family History for Beginners

{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="5" width="100%" Numerous articles are available on FamilySearch Wiki to help you get started in family history. This page will provide links to articles about general research topics.
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Principles of Family History Research


 * 1) Identify What You Know
 * 2) Decide What You Want to Learn
 * 3) Select Records to Search
 * 4) Obtain and Search the Records
 * 5) Use the Information

Featured Content
If you are wondering where to get started in your family history research, the following articles will help you with this decision:

How to Guess Where to Start


 * Guessing a Name Variation
 * Guessing a Date
 * Guessing a Place
 * Guessing the Easiest to Research Person and Event
 * Guessing a Record Type to Use

Research Tools
In addition to the articles listed above, the following articles may provide additional ideas for participating in family history activities:


 * Burned Counties Research
 * Civil Government Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates
 * Family group record: roadmap for researchers
 * Family History Library Internet Favorites
 * Genealogical Proof Standard
 * How to Begin a Search for Your Ancestor
 * How to Find Descendants in the United States
 * How to Get the Best Research Advice
 * How To Start Your Family History
 * Introduction to Family History
 * Locating Genealogical Websites
 * Major Databases for Beginning United States Research
 * Research a Family in Community Context
 * Rookie Mistakes
 * Sharing: a good way to FIND ancestors
 * Solving Tough Research Problems—Overcoming Brick Walls
 * Spelling of Surnames and Given Names
 * Spelling Substitution Tables for the United States and Canada
 * Start Family History by Writing What is Known
 * Surname Research
 * Traditional Nicknames in Old Documents - A Wiki List

Did you know?
Organizing and documenting the research that you do is a key concept for both beginners and seasoned family history researchers. The following articles will help you understand this important process:


 * Organizing Your Files
 * Document AS YOU GO!
 * Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)
 * Copying Sources
 * Research Logs
 * Keeping a Research Log
 * Research Compass Description
 * Research Analysis
 * Analyzing Census Data

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