Congratulations, you have decided to trace your family tree! This will be a long and rewarding hobby with lots of twists and turns. I have always compared genealogy to the world’s biggest puzzle. You don’t have all the pieces and you can never quite finish!
I remember when I first started building my family tree. That was before personal computers or the Internet. It involved lots of travel to research libraries, courthouses, cemeteries and archives. I spent lots of time pouring through books, microfilms and dusty court documents.
Today, it is a little easier. Much of the documentation you need is now on-line. However, there are millions of documents and books that are not available on the web, so you will still need to do old-fashioned research. When I first started, I bought every book that dealt with family tree research methods. Many were written back in the 1920s and 1930s. There was not much else out there.
Once resource I took advantage of was the Genealogical Helper, a magazine with great articles, ideas, book reviews and “Roots Cellar”. This was a way you could list your family info in the magazine so others could contact you and you could contact them. This was an early version of email. I sent out hundreds of letters to people I hoped could help me find the next clue. I also learned proper research techniques and documentation.
That is the focus of my book. Start your research on the right foot, so you will have a solid foundation to build your results. This is probably the most important thing in conducting family history research. Good luck and happy hunting!
