There are many benefits to genealogy research. It can give you a better understanding of your family’s history and can provide you with a firm foundation of your sense of self. Genealogy can help you confirm stories that have been passed down and can help you gather documentation regarding your family tree.

Organize What you Know

First and foremost, you’ll have to identify what you know about your family tree. This will help eliminate mistakes and following the wrong trails later on. Devise strategies for how you intend to organize your findings. For physical documents, you will probably want to establish individual file folders. There are also online programs that are designed to aid with genealogy and the organization of your research.

Determine What you Want to Know

Determining what you want to learn will help give you a direction for your research. Genealogy is such a vast undertaking that it can be overwhelming if you don’t focus it on a particular point. Attempt to learn about specific individuals before moving on to help ensure that you don’t become frustrated with the process.

Research

There are many records available to aid genealogy research. You can use physical records, like birth certificates, death certificates, census records, marriage records, naturalization records, cemetery records, and much more. There are many online resources, as well. Find a Grave, Ancestry.com, and many other websites are extremely popular methods. The Family History Library can offer many additional resources and services. Their headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, UT, but there are other locations available throughout the country. DNA testing is another excellent way to find out more about your family history. This is only useful for a few generations, because your DNA will be a combination of your parents’ DNA, and so on.

Other Tips

Take your genealogy research slowly. There’s no rush to complete anything, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Additionally, you’ll have to be flexible with your research. The new things you learn may require you to redirect your research. Learning about the history surrounding your ancestors will help give you a more in-depth understanding of them.

Genealogy can be a difficult project, but it is incredibly rewarding. We are passionate about helping others pursue their genealogy. To learn more about our genealogy services, contact us at Heritage Consulting today!