Getting Started On Your Family History

If you are just beginning to trace your family tree, don't assume that you're only collecting a bunch of names and dates. Family research can be an opportunity to learn about the history, geography, law, medicine and customs of other times and places. It can also become a family project that pulls distant relatives and multiple generations together to reconstruct your common past.

How to Begin

It is best to begin the story of your family with the current generation and work backwards. Instead of immediately visiting a genealogy library, gather as much information as you can from talking to other family members. You might want to use a tape recorder or video camera to record their reminiscences. Try to obtain copies of any records that family members possess. Write to all the relatives that you know requesting copies of Bible records, photographs, birth, baptismal, marriage and death certificates, offering to trade copies of what you find.

Begin to organize your records and from the beginning, make careful notes of where you obtain each document. Write down any information you find out. Record the information as though you were writing for someone who knows nothing about your family. Fill out forms neatly and spell out all names in full. Begin to fill out pedigree charts and family group sheets for each family. Filling out family group sheets will help keep your information organized and show you how much you already know about your family. It will also show what information you still need to find out. There are many computer programs on the market designed to help you organize your family tree and create concise printouts of the information that you can take with you on your research trips. Some allow scanned photographs and documents to be linked to the names you enter.

The Next Step

When you have collected all the information you can from family members, it is time to begin searching the public records that are available. A good place to start is the federal census. This state-by-state list of residents has been taken by the government every ten years since 1790. The federal government sometimes also took special censuses of veterans, slaves, and Native Americans living on reservations. In addition, individual states have taken censuses that can contain information that is different from the federal census.

Some records that we take for granted today, such as birth and death certificates, are actually fairly recent developments and access to them may be restricted. Many public records such as deeds, wills, marriage licenses, naturalization records, tax rolls, and vital statistics registers may be available only in the town or county where your ancestors resided. You may find it valuable to take classes or attend meetings sponsored by a local genealogical society. You may also wish to visit a nearby Latter Day Saints Family History Center. A great deal of information is available through the Mormon Church, including a computerized database of ancestors called the Ancestral File.

The Internet has become a very valuable tool for conducting family research. More information is being added every day. Please consult our links to popular genealogy web sites.

The KSHS Library and Archives Division collects a wealth of resources for conducting family history research. We also have indexes to historical and genealogical holdings in other institutions including the Library of Congress and the Newberry Library. For detailed information about what we have available, please visit our page for genealogists.

The reference staff is happy to advise patrons conducting family history research. You can write or e-mail the reference department for help. Although our staff is not able to conduct extensive research for you, we can direct you to resources in our holdings and in other repositories. A list of independent researchers for hire is also available. Workbooks on family history research are available in the Museum Store located in the Kansas Museum of History.