Beginning Your Family Tree

The video above is a very basic beginner's guide showing how to trace your family tree. Even though it just shows the first steps in doing genealogy, it does show how to begin a family tree at familysearch.org which is a vital resource for family historians.

Also, the guy who made this video provides information about different genealogy websites, such as Cyndi's List (another excellent resource), and one of my personal favorite family history web sites Rootsweb.

These are just a few of the hundreds and hundreds of sites available on the Internet. If you know of any sites that should be highlighted, leave a comment so others can visit them.

I've Taken The Plunge With Family Tree Maker

I've got a copy of Family Tree Maker and I've started moving the massive amount of my personal research onto the program. So far, so good, but with the number of individuals I have catalogued in my own widely distributed family tree, this process will take time. I already have several different, more muted versions of my family tree on several platforms (RootsWeb for example) and I would like to get my more updated information out there to benefit all those currently unknown cousins connected to my work. I started tracing my ancestry 30-plus years ago and felt so intimidated to discuss my progress with the more experienced genealogists I ran across. Ah, foolish youth! I should have thought to dive right in, ask questions and garner the knowledge of those far more experienced than myself. But I didn't. I did the trial and error method. I made errors (and still do), but with experience hopefully comes more wisdom.

I will continue to update this blog on my progress in uploading all my forebears, great-aunts and great-uncles families and try to provide some advice to those just starting out in the family history game as well as continue to pick the brains of those with 40-plus, and 50-plus years of experience in this extremely intriguing hobby. My family tree has taken me all over the United States and Canada as well as to Ireland, Scotland and England. In some areas the records are sparse, but in others, so many records exist that it is difficult to wade through them to find that elusive ancestor. And then you find him or her, one farm over, or in the next parish or even across the sea. The chase is on. Let's see what we can find today.

Top Ten Genealogy Websites

There are hundreds of excellent websites available for family history researchers and whittling that number down to a list of just 10 can be a daunting task. Here are my personal favorites. They are not ranked 1-10 because each contributes differently to your genealogy research. Let me know if you dispute my choices or want to add to the list.

Cyndi's List: One of the most popular genealogy directories and indexes on the web. Cyndi's site features a massive number of links that are categorized and cross-referenced. If you are looking for general or specific family history information, this frequently updated site will point you in the right direction.
Ancestry.com: Ancestry.com does require a subscription, but it also offers a free trial on its home page. If you aren't happy with it, just cancel. Use this site to find indexed Census Records and images for the U.S. and other countries, family stories and publications, news articles, birth and death records, and military records. Ancestry.com is one of the biggest and most comprehensive genealogy websites out there and a lot of your research needs will lead you there.
Genuki: Hands down the absolute best source for those doing research in England, Scotland and Ireland. Broken down to the county, parish, local level with links to the massive amount of available records. Your best connection to others also researching in your family or area of interest. The best, most comprehensive site I've used for overseas genealogical research.
US GenWeb: This genealogy website contains information about the US GenWeb project and also links to state-level GenWeb sites. Maintained by volunteers and growing daily, this is a site you simply must visit for US family historians and researchers.
Rootsweb: One of the oldest and most popular free genealogy sites on the web. This website offers several different services to the genealogical community, including web-page hosting, search indexes and registries. This site provides actual information and not just links to genealogy information. I've used this site from day one of my online family history research.
Genealogy.com: You can search mailing lists and forum postings. Post questions you have and family names you are researching. Lot's of help here with your family history questions.
Google: First and last, Google is one of the best websites you can use for family history research. Setting aside it's massive search capacity, Google provides access to great genealogy blogs (like this one!), webpages, groups, useful maps and just about everything else. You can also search the web for others posting about your ancestors from the old country.
Family Tree Maker Online: The Family Tree Maker website offers an extensive "how-to" guide, a genealogy mall, the 115-million-name Family Finder index, message boards, a biography assistant and more.
Linkpedium: A new website from the founders of Rootsweb. This site will provide links to everything under the sun for anyone trying to find genealogy records and resources.
Familysearch.org: A massive database and free to use, FamilySearch is favored by just about everyone who does online genealogy. this useful (extremely useful!) website has over a billion names in various databases that get updated all the time. Census records, the international genealogical index (known as the IGI), pedigree resource files, and vital records index. FamilySearch is one of the most visited, bookmarked, favorited and best sites out there. I'd give it 5 stars out of 5 for all the help they've provided me in my own family research.

You probably have even more favorite websites you use. Let me know what you would like to add to this list. It's always changing and being updated.