Start your family history research

Start with what you have

• Birth, marriage, and death certificates in the family files
• Obituaries, funeral programs, and newspaper clippings
• Family Bibles, letters, diaries, and baby books
• Military discharge papers and old passports
• The names and dates your oldest relatives remember

Free places to search

1. FamilySearch. A free site with billions of indexed records from around the world. You need a free account to search.
2. The U.S. census. Taken every ten years and released to the public after 72 years. The 1950 census is the newest one you can search. It shows who lived in each household, their ages, and where they were born.
3. The National Archives. Military, immigration, and land records for the United States, many with free online indexes.
4. Your local library. Many libraries give free access to paid genealogy sites and old newspapers with your library card.
5. The FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Free to visit, with volunteers who help beginners find their footing.

Work backward, one generation at a time

Start with yourself, then your parents, then their parents. Confirm each person with at least one record before you jump back another generation. Skipping ahead is how people end up attached to the wrong family tree.

Legend or fact?

Every family has a story like “we’re descended from royalty” or “the name was changed at Ellis Island.” Keep the legend, but label it. Mark what you’ve found as proven, probable, unverified, or disproven, and write down where you looked, even when you found nothing. An empty search is still useful to the next person.

Write down your sources

For every fact, note where it came from: the record, the year, and where you found it. It feels slow, but it saves hours later and lets anyone in the family check your work.