This goes back to working in reverse chronological order. This information can provide a place to start. Older generations may know the occupations that family members held, where they are buried, and they may have other stories that you can search for in historical newspapers. This may uncover leads for you to research further. If you should be so lucky, speak to the family member who started tracing the family history or get a copy of his or her research. Be sure to ask your family members whether anybody has already started researching the family history this can eliminate duplicating work that may already be done. This step appears to be easy, but can pose a possible setback if you have relatives who aren’t particularly chatty. The best approach is to simply start with yourself and work from the present day to the past.Īncestry® Library Edition has ancestral chart forms that you can download to help you while filling in your family tree. You don’t want to spend a lot of time researching only to find that you were tracing the wrong John Smith. It is even more critical to work backward if your family surname is common.
Many people want to start their research with a family member who was a Civil War soldier, or something similar, but that could lead you down the wrong line of descent.
When you’re getting started, one of the most important things to remember is to work backwards.
#Sierra generations family tree download charts how to
Bill has led many initiatives to educate librarians in their service to genealogy patrons and the following are his expert tips on how to begin tracing your family tree. William Forsyth oversees ProQuest’s expansive line of digital family history resources, and has dedicated more than 30 years of experience to building high-quality genealogy subscription products for librarians. But navigating through the volume of resources may be a bit daunting, especially when you are trying to figure out where to begin.īecause October is Family History Month, we took the opportunity to tap our very own genealogy expert for his tips on researching your family history. ProQuest historical content and datasets help in researching your family history. The rise in easily searched resources that are available online has made the emotional quest of uncovering the stories of your family history increasingly popular.