Work backwards beginning with any information that you have
and what you know. There are several key pieces of information
necessary to use during your search including family names,
occupations, place names and dates.
Early on it will become clear to you that you must start with
the basics, no matter how basic they seem to be.
You then need to go back systematically, generation by
generation, verifying your sources at each stage.
Start at home. Check with close relatives who may have useful
information such as photographs, correspondence or addresses of
people to contact. Gather together, or take copies of, all
available birth, marriage and death certificates of family
members. Make comprehensive notes. Ask your oldest relatives for
their family stories.
Try to establish as carefully and completely as possible the
basic genealogical facts (date and place of birth/baptism, date
and place of marriage, and date and place of death/burial) of as
many of your near relatives as you can.
Do not ignore family legends - but also do not take them as
certain to be literally true. Rather, use them as yet another
source of guidance for your efforts at finding out the truth about
the past.
Be organised & honest. You must be systematic and
organised so start with a simple filing system and organise a file
for storing letters, photocopies, certificates and other
documents. Create a folder or directory in your computer, where
you can put emails, notes and information gathered from the
internet. Your record keeping must also be honest - there are
always skeletons in the cupboard to a greater or lesser degree -
do not ignore them.
Determine fact from fiction - not all the information will be
accurate.
It will not always be an easy passage and you are bound to
encounter blocks and obstacles along the way. The only way to deal
with these obstacles is come back to the process over and over
again to analyze your next move.
For background information about the people and places you'll
be researching, check the books in your local library, and maybe
buy one or two of those that seem most useful. If you find useful
information in any books, make sure you keep enough reference
material to enable you to walk back into the same place at a later
date, locate the book and find the reference again.
Take care with your data from the outset - it will be a big
help as you progress. Begin to build up a contacts list to help
you make your first chart.
Develop a plan. Think about which lines to follow. You have
two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and so
on. Set your sights and decide where to concentrate your research.
You have to draw the lines somewhere. You can use your time better
if you develop a plan to guide you. Don't aim to research your
total ancestry as the data might overwhelm you!
Avoid assumptions. Don't presume that you are related to
somebody just because you have the same surname, however
unusual.
Consider geographical changes that may have taken place -
towns and villages have expanded, district or parish boundaries
may have shifted.
It is always worthwhile joining a family history society where
you will get a good foundation in the essentials of family history
research and it will also give you the chance to meet people with
a similar interest as yourself.
Technology
While using technology is not a necessity, it can be a great
help. A computer is an efficient means of storing, copying,
sharing and presenting data and there are programs designed
specifically to help you draw up your family tree and
history.
The internet is also home to lots of useful genealogical
information and ideal for making contact by using email
addresses supplied on websites, speeding up the flow of
information dramatically.
Researchers should only use reputable internet sites and must
always excercise caution when giving credit card information to
obtain information on ancestors and genealogy.