A practical guide to starting and organizing your family history work. Learn how to build family trees, locate reliable sources like birth records and genealogy records, and verify findings by cross-checking historical data.

For many families, mapping out family trees transforms a list of names into meaningful stories. Getting started with ancestry research begins with what you know: gather names, dates, places, and oral histories from relatives, then sketch an initial chart you can refine over time.

Next, expand your search to documentary evidence—birth records, marriage and death certificates, census schedules, immigration manifests, newspapers, church books, and local archives. Pair these with genealogy records from libraries and reputable online databases, and always cross-check the historical data to reconcile conflicting details and avoid mistaken identities.

Digital tools make organizing sources and creating citations far easier; maintain folders for images, notes, and timelines, and back everything up. Consider DNA tests as clues rather than conclusions, and when you attach documents, include scans and transcriptions, note repositories, and tag entries so future searches surface the right people in your tree.

Good habits turn scattered clues into a coherent narrative: set clear research questions, log every search, and keep a research journal to track negative results. Verify each connection before extending branches, respect privacy for living relatives, and share your findings so family members can collaborate and preserve your collective legacy.