10 tips for genealogical research

If you are just getting started in genealogical research, here are some of my recommendations:

1. Balance online research with other repositories where you can use published and original records. (The sweetest fruit isn't always on the low-hanging branches.)
2. Keep a record of each source you consult. Obtain a copy of Evidence Explained to guide you in citing records.
3. To generate charts, timelines, and lists use genealogical software such as Family Tree Maker, Legacy, Roots Magic, or The Master Genealogist (advanced). But to write a narrative family history, use your word processor!
4. Join your local genealogical society. The programs will enrich your knowledge and perspective; the networking will give you access to the genealogical community; and the volunteering can give you practical hands-on experience with records, writing, teaching, preservation, etc.
5. Join other local, state, national, regional, and ethnic genealogical organizations that serve genealogists with your research interests. If you are doing American research, join the National Genealogical Society, or read their publications in a library, especially the Quarterly.
6. For more advanced learning, attend local seminars, national conferences, and specialized institutes.
7. Build your library. Include guidebooks as well as reference works related to your personal research. Some of my favorite guidebooks are the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, Everton's Handy Book and Ancestry's Red Book, Black's Law Dictionary, Evidence Explained, Genealogical Research in the National Archives, and Hinckley's Guide to the Census. But for specialized Colorado research, I use publications such as Colorado Marriage Index (CD-ROM) and Colorado Families: A Territorial Heritage.
8. Travel! This will allow you to visit the areas your ancestors lived, and to find their records in courthouses, churches, and graveyards. Also you can find goldmines of information at large repositories such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
9. Learn the ethics and standards for genealogists. For some good summaries, see the NGS "Genealogical Standards and Guidelines," also the Genealogical Standards Manual, mentioned above.
10. Analyze! Make connections to history, arrange events into timelines, explore non-family relationships. Also, look for gaps in your information and try to fill them.

I wish you the best of success in your quest!
Birdie Monk Holsclaw