I was lucky enough to get a jump start from a family member. You can too. Talk to your oldest relatives. They'll have albums and photos. Ask them to go through them with you. If you can, record the information on video or tape recorder. At a minimum write
everything down. Don't rely on your own memory. Some of the stories will weave into other stories, and good luck keeping that all straight without documenting it!
These flashbacks will flesh out the information that you will dig out on your own. With today's access to records, you can find out lots, but not that your great-grandmother was a fabulous pie baker, or that your uncle was a stone mason who helped to build the US Treasury. Nothing will make your family history seem more special than the human element.
While there is a ton of information on the internet, not all of it is accurate. This gets compounded by people copying and pasting this misinformation into their own family tree which they then share and before you know it there is a lot of incorrect information out there. Be sure that you document and reference all your sources.
After you have talked with family be sure to organize the data. I use Family Tree Maker, but there are other programs out there. In the beginning you might think that you can manage the information on your own, but should this become a passion, you will need to have the help of some software.
Visit your public library. Our library has HeritageQuest (which searches U.S. federal census, banking and military records, genealogies, local histories, primary source materials, and genealogical and local history serials) and Ancestry Library Edition available for free and well has other reference sources. You may even be able to access some of these from home if you are a registered user. You might even be lucky to have a library nearby that as a comprehensive genealogy section that your library can borrow from.
FamilySearch.org is a free site and service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Again, be sure to double check any information, and that you have the right family member. Just think of all the Mary Smith's that were born in 1952!
CyndisList.com has a tremedous number of genealogical sources, some of which are unique and very helpful. Once you start looking, you'll find that a lot of pieces will fall together. There are so many organizations, clubs, family sites and boards that you can join...some free, some fee-based.
It may sound silly, but just try putting the names into search. They may have done something remarkable that is our there on the web that may give you a new avenue to search out.
