Searching for your family history is a lot of fun and hard work.  Having a good starting place, properly researching and documenting your sources will make your search very rewarding.

    I have researched both sides of each of my parents families.  I would get information from family members only to find out later that names were incorrect, birthdates wrong and even the place of birth was incorrect. 

    I laughed at the different versions of the immigration story I got about my 3-Great Grandparents.  One family member said they came from Russia, another said they came from Germany and yet another said they were born here!!!  So, I stopped asking and started digging.
 
How to start:

Begin with yourself. 

Fill out a family group sheet, there are Family Group Sheet forms available at numerous sites online that you can print off.  When you are ready to really get into your family history many Ebay sellers offer preprinted Family Group Sheets at a great price.

1. Record your complete name at birth at the top of the sheet (If you are a woman, use your maiden name, in genealogy women's married names are not used)
2. Record your Fathers complete name (if he is know as Eddy but his real name is Edward, use his real name and note his nickname)
3. Record your Mothers complete name at birth (her last name is not her married name in genealogy, use her maiden name)
   
4. Record your date of birth
5. Record the city, county and state where you were born and name of hospital
   
6. If you were baptized, include the date, church, city, county and state
7. If you are married, record the date, place you got married, city, county and state
8. Record your spouses full name at birth
9. Record your spouses birthplace information as you did your own.
10. If your spouse is deceased record the date of death, city, county and state
11. Record the date of burial, cemetery, city, county and state.
12. Are you divorced, if so record the date, city, county and state
13. Remarried? Repeat spouse information
    
14. Now list your children recording all details (if you have children from different marriages it is important to denote their correct parents)
    
15. Make a family group sheet for your spouse(s) and each of your children
    

If you have made it this far and you find you really enjoy working on recording your family then move on to the next step.

You can choose to do everything on paper, using family group sheets and pedigree charts.  You can buy them in bulk on ebay.

There are many great programs out there that make genealogy a little easier.  If you like technology, typing and quick easy printouts of the information you have been working on, get a computer program!  I love mine. 

Ok, now back to your record of yourself and your immediate family. 

It is time to start proving everything you have listed and documenting your sources.  Sorry just because you say it happened doesn't prove it did.  You will need to find documentation.

• Copies of birth certificates
• Newspaper birth and wedding announcements
• Marriage Certificates
• Divorce paperwork
• Obituaries, funeral pamphlets and cemetery plot information
• Military records
• Diplomas
• Any documents that can prove your information
• Census Records for information 1930 and before

Record on your group sheet or in your genealogy program your sources of information, this is very important.  Make a file or notebook with page protectors and dividers for each person to help organize your information.  As you go along you will find the best system for yourself.

This is my favorite part:
Get stories from your kids, your spouse and your parents about yourself!!  Gather pictures of yourself and put together a couple pages of photo history. Now do it for everyone in your immediate family.  This is what makes family interesting, not just dates and places.

So now you have an idea of how to start and what you need to gather, record for each person and what types of documents you will need. 

Branch out slowly, do your parents and siblings next, starting a new group sheet for each person.  Doing it on paper first makes entering it in the computer easier. You can double check your entries, have a backup resource if your computer crashes and will be able to refer back to your original work easily if you have a question.

It is amazing what you can find out about your family that you didn't know.  I found that my grandpa had two siblings that died when they were under 2 years old and nobody else in the family knew anything about them, also found out I am my own 4th cousin (don't ask, it scares me!! Small town if you get the drift).

The more digging and research you do, you will ultimately meet others who are researching the same family lines. 

A word of caution. 

NEVER integrate another persons information directly into your computer program.  It is important to find documentation and double check everything. 

When I first started getting information from others I was so excited to fill in another branch of the tree that I just entered their information without double checking and finding my own documentation....over the years I have found many errors that I could have prevented. 

Question information, prove it and document your proof.  You can also ask the person who sent you information if you can get copies of their documentation.  Many people are happy to send you copies.  Always offer to pay for photocopies, it can get expensive and it is always appreciated when you help pay for postage and copies.

I have put genealogy to the side for now...after 10 years of research, my current obituary collection is over 4,000 indexed and who knows how many that I haven't indexed yet. I have file cabinets full of information and have completed three books. 

 I hope you find this guide helpful and good luck on your search!!