You may want to create a family tree for a number of different reasons. You may need to prove ancestry to qualify for a college scholarship from a historical organization. You may be interested in building a health history by looking for diseases that tend to run in families. For most people, however, a genealogy search is an interesting hobby that they can work on alone or with the whole family.
The Internet has greatly accelerated initial genealogy research. Many sites allow you to search the databases they have compiled. Some are free while others are paid. Through sites like these, you gain access to some very valuable databases. Some of the most useful are the Social Security death index, census records, and transcribed databases of immigrant ships.
You can also find a large number of family trees online that have been compiled by others. It’s often easy to find links to your ancestors in a tree belonging to another, perhaps a distant cousin. Naturally, you should confirm the information with an official source to make sure it belongs to your ancestor. These trees, however, can be a great starting point for your search.
Talk to your family members to determine if they have any old documents that may be of value to you. Someone may have a family Bible that contains vital information for three or four generations. They may have some old christening records or deeds that you might need. Even if there are no documents, ask them to list everything they can remember. Write down names, along with where and when people were born or died, but see if there’s any other information you can get. For example, knowing the state an ancestor lived in when he joined the military can help you locate his record or unit. Knowing that while a grandmother was married in Tennessee, she was born in New York can save you hours of wild goose hunting.
Most major newspapers keep an archive of their back issues, often on microfilm. Call and ask permission to search for these old copies. You can often find birth announcements, obituaries, or wedding announcements that will help your project. This can be an excellent source of more recent information, since census records are not made public until they are seventy years old.
Most public libraries have a genealogy section that you can access. They may already have some data indexed and microfilmed, making it easier to find records. However, you will often find a collection of diaries, letters, and family histories that can take quite a while to peruse. However, if you are certain that an ancestor lived in that area, it may be worthwhile if other sources fail.
Another good source of information may be a local historical society. These groups often have a wealth of information on the area’s most prominent residents. They may have limited records, depending on the group, but they often know where you can find additional information.
Records are easier to find after the Revolutionary War than before. You may need to get information from more obscure sources for pre-revolutionary records. For example, headstones can sometimes provide the names of children or spouses. Churches may have records of burials, baptisms, and marriages that may be helpful. Some of these have been entered into databases after they were transcribed and are searchable, even if they are not offered online.