(The first 10 points are in articles 1 and 2 previous.) Continuing from article 2...
By following this outline as presented you "will" definitely locate your ancestors and learn about each of the older generations as you go along. It will be a gradual step back in time as you proceed from step to step in these articles.
11 - Join a Genealogical Society. This is very important especially for the novice, but is good information even for the advanced genealogist. The information and education that you will get from these fellow genealogists will be invaluable. They usually sponsor seminars and training classes that will also be most helpful. I have met many previously unknown relatives at genealogical society meetings. Remember there are many thousands of modern day people that have the same ancestors that you do.
12 - Install a Genealogical Software Program on your computer and document all of the data with your sources as you enter the information into your database. There are many free or shareware programs that you can download off the net, just check with cyndislist or Google for this. I like Legacy Family Tree but there are many others available.
13 - Once your data is computerized you will be able to look at it in standard chart formats and print out nice reports. Seeing your data take the form of a pedigree chart or family group sheet is exciting and every time you print one out I guarantee that it will give you more ideas on what to check next. These charts are great for sharing with other family members also and they just might bring you more exciting finds. Most of these computer programs also have ways of adding scanned or downloaded images into your database which will make for a very professional looking report. There is also room to add biographical text which will keep the data from becoming dry to the casual reader and you can put meat on the bones of your long gone family members.
14 - Sharing with others is what it is all about and will always bring nice results in return. You will find that most everyone in this hobby is willing to share their data and you will be able to keep building with the use of work done by others. Do not expect family members to kick in and help you pay for all of this research. They just do not have the passion that you do for the research and they also have no idea as to the expense. Just look at this hobby as a labor of love and do not look at it as a way of making money.
15 - Civil and court records are located in courthouses normally. These are some of the other places that you will want to become acquainted with, as the records that are available in various courthouses, such as land records, estate records, guardianships, and various civil records are available no where else. Do not be intimidated in such places as these records, if not sealed, are public records and you have the right to see them. Each civil location will have differing rules and procedures that you will have to follow but the records are there for you to find.
To be concluded in article 4 of this series...
Special resources used for genealogy are Old Newspaper Articles.
Keywords: genealogy research project
