Finding out one's family history is a fascinating project that can span years, if not decades, of research. It's a pastime that is interesting to people who have lost track of various branches of their families or don't know much about their family's history, as well as for those who have a passion for researching, documenting and learning about history. You can use computer programs to track the information you find, or keep it in albums and notebooks.

Interviews

Ask family members for a few hours of their time and any relevant documents about the family. Take a tape recorder, notebook and pen, and any photos or other objects you want to know about. You can ask them a set of questions, or just chat about family history. Write down both the hard facts they know and their guesses about less well-known events or people. Don't take any one story for granted; interview as many relatives as you can to get different perspectives on the family. Some may have heard a story very differently than others. Personal interviews like this can be sensitive, so realize that it's all right to drop an uncomfortable subject. When you are done with your interviews, take what you have gathered and begin creating a family tree in a notebook or album. You can type up remembered family stories and cross-reference them with people on the tree, or keep a photo album with notated photos with the tree, or both.

Records

Use the information and family trees you have created to track down details. Start with verifying basics like births, deaths and marriages. These records are available at city or county clerk's offices in most parts of the United States. Pinning down exact locations of these events is important so that you can ask the right clerk for the records. If this isn't possible, you may have to visit several offices to find the records you need. Have some money on hand; if you want to photocopy anything a fee is often charged. However, you have the right to look at any public record at no charge; ask if you can see the record and copy it out yourself if the cost is too high. Property records are available through municipal clerks or registers of deeds; criminal and civil court records are available through local courts; and local churches document christening, burial and other religious ceremonies. A popular resource for family history also is the U.S. Census records, available online in some areas and in civil offices in others. In the United States, tracking family history invariably means searching immigrant records; passenger lists, naturalization records, customs and military information can provide more clues.

Connections

Seek out others who are documenting similar or parallel family histories. There are several websites on which genealogy researchers post news about public records databases, their own research, and many other resources that may be helpful. You also can post topics of your own and ask questions. You may find there is a relative out there working on research on another branch of your family tree, or that your family tree ties in to well-known, established records you didn't know existed. Rootsweb.com and Genealogy.com are two helpful sites that are mostly free to use, while Ancestry.com is a subscription site that provides a lot of information but adds some cost to your research. See the Resources section for more information.

Source:

Family Tree Magazine.com

Genealogy.com Research Skills

Resource:

Genealogy.com Getting Started

RootsWeb.com

Ancestry.com