You can ignore or forget some principles of family history research. You can even try to re-invent the wheel. But some of these websites will show you that some "rules" are indeed golden! Before you try to re-invent the wheel, try exploring and testing what has helped the research and discovery process in the past.What is the research cycle? Where can you find information, documents, resources?
1. Begin with yourself. Write down or record what you know about the ancestor (family), already. Use charts, forms, software or grab a notebook!
2. Interview a relative. For some of us, it is a little late in the game, as we don't have a lot of living relatives left to interview! However, you can still connect with cousins. You'd be surprised at what they might know or have on hand. And if you think you don't have any cousins, get your dna test and see what happens! Of course, it may be true---that you don't have any cousins, but did your father or your mother have siblings who had children and/or cousins? If so, then they may only be once removed. If your grandparents had cousins, they are twice removed. You might not find living relatives, but explore and research these folks AND their descendants!
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| Givens Reunion 2015 !Cousins! |
3. Gather and/or pursue documents. Are they in a box, somewhere? Graduation certificates, birth announcements, marriage invitations, Christmas Cards?
4. Where can you send for birth, marriage, and death certificates (United States)?
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