Research Goal

What would you like to learn about your ancestors? First, its important to know what you already know about your family history. Do you know your parents? When and where where they born? Do you know their marriage date and place? If they are deceased, when and where did they die? 

Begin with your closest relatives and gather as much information as possible. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grand parents, and as far back as anyone can remember. The more information you gather, the easier it will be to locate and prove other family members.

Once you have gathered your infomation, decide on a family tree platform into which you can enter your information.

Some trees contain more records you can search. FamilySearch.org is a free colaborative tree. FamilySearch.org contains many indexed records you can search for free, and thousands of searchable records still needing to be indexed.  Many users of the FamilySearch.org site  also particpate in the indexing program to make records easier to search.  Anyone can set up a login for the site and set up their tree.  You start with your personal information and your parents. Often, when you connect your line to a deceased ancestor, your line will connect into the work other people have done, extending your line for many generations.  You still need to verify the correctness of the names added to your line.  If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, you will have access to some other sites for free, once you sign up, ie, Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com and several others.  This perk comes thanks to the indexing program and volunteers who do indexing.