3. What do you need to start?
• Names of parents &
grandparents
• Birth dates/places
• Marriage date/place
• Death date/place (if
applicable)
• Names of siblings & their
relative ages
• Places these people may
have lived
4. Where do I find this information?
• Ask family members what they know
• Look at the family Bible or other documents
• Listen to family stories
• Look at family photographs
5. Have info, now what?
• What do you do with the information you get?
• Decide how to record it
– Paper forms
– Computer software
• Legacy (Free)
• Family Tree Maker (pay)
– Websites
• Ancestry.com
• RootsWeb.com
6. Starting Your Research
Print Resources Digital Resources
• Family Bible • Ancestry.com
• Historical Society – Some features are free,
others require subscriptions
• Public Library (TSCPL has a LibraryEdition)
• Newspapers • FamilySearch.org
• HeritageQuest
– Online census records. Can
be accessed for free from the
Topeka & Shawnee County
Public Library with your
library card.
7. How do I search?
Start with one family member for whom you know
a name, a date (birth, marriage or death) and one
location they lived
11. Types of Records to look for
• Census
• Vital Records
• Obituaries & newspaper articles
• Cemetery stones
• City directories & phone books
• Photos
13. … and even more records
• Military • School
• Church • Business
14. I have lots of information. Now what?
• Organize your information –
on paper or on-line
• Find ways to pass it on –
blog, write a book, make a
scrapbook, send out a
family newsletter, tell
stories, etc.
15. I found the easy stuff, what’s next?
• Family History Library in Salt Lake City
• Courthouses & micro-local resources
• Classes & Conferences (Topeka Genealogical
Society, Mid-West Genealogy Center, Salt Lake
Institute of Genealogy, Institute of Genealogy
and Historical Research)
• Hire an expert. Association of Professional
Genealogists
16. Now Have Fun
• This is only the tip of the iceberg.
• Genealogy can be lots of fun and lots of work.
• You might find evidence to support some
family stories, or learn that others were just
‘tall tales’.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Why research your family tree? 1) to know where you come from 2) medical history/tree 3) family stories, are they true? 4) find the skeletons in the closet
There are many different kinds of paper forms, software programs, and genealogy-recording websites. You can find them by doing an internet search using those search words. You may need to try some of them out before finding the one that’s best for you.
Problem with print resources: You may not live where your family used to. Fees can be charged for having research done at a distance.Advantage to print resources: Not everything is digitized. You might find some hidden gems.Problem with digital resources: Some might be user-posted, and might not be reliable.Advantage to digital resources: Can be accessed remotely. Can be easier to locate that print items.
The more you know about a person (full name, life dates/places, relatives, etc.) the better chance you have of finding them. If they had multiple surnames (especially women) search each name. If they lived in multiple locations, search each location.Census Records are organized by head-of-household (males)
The first 2 entries are my great-grandmother, the third & fourth are not.