Genealogy Research for Beginners: Tracing Your Family Tree

Everyone's curious about where they came from. Who were your ancestors? Where did they live? What did they do? What challenges did they overcome?

Genealogy research answers these questions, connecting you to your past and helping you understand your present. This guide will show you how to start, where to look, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

Start With What You Know

The biggest mistake beginners make is starting with online databases or DNA tests. That comes later. Start with what you already know.

Create Your Foundation

1. Interview living relatives (especially elderly ones)

   • Names, dates, locations
   • Stories and family legends
   • Old addresses and occupations
   • Maiden names
   • Religious affiliations

2. Gather existing documents

   • Birth, marriage, death certificates
   • Military records
   • Immigration papers
   • Old letters and diaries
   • Family bibles (often contain genealogical records)
   • Funeral cards and obituaries

3. Organize photos

   • People in photos (especially if labeled)
   • Locations visible in backgrounds
   • Dates on photo backs
   • Studios where photos were taken (indicates location)

This foundation work saves you time and money later. Information from relatives is free. Information from archives costs time and sometimes money.

Building Your Family Tree

Choose Your Tools

Paper option: Genealogy charts (pedigree chart and family group sheets)

• Simple, tactile, good for beginners
• Limited space, hard to modify

Software option: Genealogy programs

• Family Tree Maker
• Legacy Family Tree
• RootsMagic
• All offer free trials

Online option: Web-based services

• Ancestry.com (best for US research, huge database)
• MyHeritage (good for international)
• FamilySearch.org (free, maintained by LDS Church)

My recommendation: Start with FamilySearch (free) to learn the basics. Upgrade to Ancestry if you hit paywalls on documents you need.

Document Everything

For every fact you add to your tree:

• Record the source (where you found it)
• Rate your confidence (certain, probable, possible)
• Save copies of source documents
• Note contradictions (sources often disagree)

Critical rule: Never add information without a source. "Grandma told me" is a source. "I think I remember" is not.

The Research Process

Work backward through time, one generation at a time. Don't skip ahead to find a famous ancestor. That leads to errors.

Generation 1: Parents

This should be easy if they're living or recently deceased.

Key documents:

• Birth certificates (government office where they were born)
• Marriage certificate (county where they married)
• Death certificate if deceased (state vital records office)

Generation 2: Grandparents

This requires more work but should still be straightforward.

Key sources:

• Census records (conducted every 10 years in US, UK, Canada)
• City directories (like old phone books with addresses and occupations)
• Obituaries (newspapers from where they died)
• Social Security Death Index (for US deaths after 1962)

Census records are gold: They show:

• Names of everyone in household
• Ages, occupations, birthplaces
• Neighbors (often relatives)
• Property ownership

Generation 3: Great-grandparents

Here's where it gets challenging. They likely died before you were born, so you're relying entirely on records.

Key sources:

• Immigration records (Ellis Island, Castle Garden, other ports)
• Naturalization papers (courts where they became citizens)
• Land records (deeds show when they bought/sold property)
• Church records (baptisms, marriages, deaths)

Immigration research tip: If your ancestor immigrated to the US:

1. Find them in first US census after arrival
2. Census states birth year and whether naturalized
3. Search naturalization records for exact arrival details
4. Find ship manifest on Ancestry or FamilySearch

Generation 4+: Beyond Great-grandparents

Now you're deep in history. Records become scarcer, especially if your family wasn't wealthy or notable.

Strategies:

• Focus on one family line at a time
• Look for collateral relatives (siblings, cousins) who might have left more records
• Consult local historical societies
• Hire a professional genealogist for brick walls

DNA Testing for Genealogy

DNA tests have revolutionized genealogy but aren't magic. Understanding what they can and can't do is crucial.

The Three Types of DNA Tests

Autosomal DNA (what most tests use):

• Tests: AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage
• Shows: All your ancestry, cousin matches
• Good for: Finding living relatives, breaking through brick walls
• Limitation: Only accurate 5-6 generations back

Y-DNA (males only):

• Tests: FamilyTreeDNA
• Shows: Direct paternal line only (father's father's father...)
• Good for: Surname research, deep paternal ancestry

mtDNA (everyone has it):

• Tests: FamilyTreeDNA
• Shows: Direct maternal line only (mother's mother's mother...)
• Good for: Deep maternal ancestry, connections to ancient populations

What DNA Can Tell You

Ethnicity estimates: Broad geographic origins

• Fun but not precise
• Percentages change as databases improve
• Don't use as primary research tool

Cousin matches: Other people who share DNA with you

• This is the real value
• Helps confirm or disprove paper trail
• Can break through brick walls
• Requires work to figure out the connection

Health markers: Some tests include this

• Not directly genealogy-related
• Can be interesting for family medical history

Using DNA Matches

When you get DNA matches:

1. Sort by relationship: Focus on close matches first (2nd cousins or closer)
2. Check their trees: See if you recognize any names
3. Look for common ancestors: Where do your trees intersect?
4. Contact matches: Politely ask about shared ancestors
5. Build "mirror trees": Create trees for matches to find connections

Common Brick Walls and How to Break Through

Problem 1: Name Changes

Names change through:

• Immigration (shortened or Americanized)
• Marriage (women, obviously)
• Illegitimacy (children took mother's name or stepfather's)
• Nicknames (Polly instead of Mary, Jack instead of John)

Solution: Search variations. Use wildcards in databases. Look for siblings who might have kept original name.

Problem 2: Common Names

John Smith lived in Pennsylvania in 1850. So did 47 other John Smiths.

Solution:

• Use F.A.N. club (Friends, Associates, Neighbors)
• Look for distinctive names in family (siblings, spouse)
• Track migration patterns (people moved with relatives)
• Study collateral lines (brothers and sisters)

Problem 3: Records Don't Exist

Fire, flood, war, or just poor recordkeeping destroyed the documents you need.

Solution:

• Look for substitute records:
  • Land records
  • Tax lists
  • Court records
  • Newspapers
  • Church records
  • Fraternal organizations
• Research the geography:
  • County boundary changes (ancestor might be in different county than you think)
  • Historical disasters that destroyed records

Problem 4: Immigrant Origins

You know your ancestor came from "Ireland" or "Germany" but can't narrow it down further.

Solution:

• Check ship manifests for town/village
• Research chain migration (people came from same areas)
• Look for ethnic churches or organizations in US
• Check naturalization papers (often state specific origin)
• Use genetic genealogy to find European relatives

Key Websites and Resources

Free Resources:

• FamilySearch.org (billions of records, free)
• USGenWeb (county-level resources, free)
• Find A Grave (cemetery records, free)
• Census records through FamilySearch or Archives (free but harder to search)

Paid Resources:

• Ancestry.com ($25-50/month, best all-around)
• Newspapers.com ($20-30/month, for obituaries and news)
• Fold3 (military records, $10/month)
• MyHeritage ($10-20/month, good for international)

Physical Archives:

• National Archives (Washington DC and regional branches)
• State archives (each state has one)
• County courthouses (deeds, wills, marriage records)
• Local libraries (local history collections)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Accepting information without verification

   • Other people's trees are often wrong
   • Verify everything with original sources

2. Assuming family stories are facts

   • Family legends often have a kernel of truth but wrong details
   • "We're related to [famous person]" is usually not true

3. Copying other trees blindly

   • Ancestry shows you other trees as "hints"
   • Many are wildly inaccurate
   • Use them as clues, not facts

4. Ignoring women's history

   • Harder to trace but just as important
   • Maiden names are critical

5. Skipping documentation

   • Today you know where you found that fact
   • In six months you won't
   • Always cite sources

Your First Week Action Plan

Day 1: Interview your oldest living relative. Record it.

Day 2: Gather all family documents and photos. Scan or photograph them.

Day 3: Create free FamilySearch account. Build tree with what you know.

Day 4: Search FamilySearch for census records for grandparents and great-grandparents.

Day 5: Order DNA kit from Ancestry or 23andMe.

Day 6: Request birth/death certificates for anyone you don't have.

Day 7: Join surname or locality-specific groups on Facebook or forums.

The Long Game

Genealogy is a marathon, not a sprint. You'll have breakthroughs and brick walls. Some ancestors are easy to find. Others take years of research.

The journey is the reward. Every ancestor you find is a piece of your story. Every document reveals something about the lives of people who made your life possible.

Start today. Your ancestors are waiting to be discovered.