After you have filled in the pedigree chart and family
group sheets with as much information as you can remember and have spoken to members of your family about what they know, you are ready to move on to Step 4.
Read a Book
There are several basic books you can read about genealogy,
such as, Unpuzzling Your Past by Emily Anne Croom (Cincinnati: Betterway Publications, 2003) or
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy
by Christine Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls (New York: Alpha Books, 1997). A
classic textbook, used in many courses, is Researcher's Guide to American
Genealogy by Val Greenwood (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000).
There are excellent articles in popular genealogy
periodicals, such as, Ancestry Magazine,
Family Tree Magazine, and Heritage
Quest Magazine, just to name a few. After you have been doing genealogy for a while, you may be
interested in some of the more scholarly journals, such as, The
American Genealogist, the National
Genealogical Society Quarterly, the
New England Historical and Genealogy Register, and
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Many more fine genealogical and historical journals are
published in each state. You can find these and other books and periodicals at
your local library or in the bookstore. You can also subscribe to the magazines
and periodicals and have them regularly sent to your home.
Join a Society or
The easiest and most enjoyable way to learn more about
genealogy is by joining a genealogical society in your city. If you live in a
small town or a rural area where there is no genealogical society, most counties
have genealogical societies. Typically at a monthly society meeting, there will
be a knowledgeable speaker who will give a demonstration or lesson on one aspect
of genealogy, such as vital records, cemetery records, military records, etc.
Some organizations have a beginner’s session for new people before the general
meeting. Genealogical societies are places where you can meet people with a
similar interest and perhaps find a new cousin. We are always amazed that if we
go back far enough we find that we are related to people we work with, people we
went to school with, and sometime even find that we have unknowingly married our
seventh cousin, once removed!
There are thousands of specialty societies for geographic
areas. For example, you might join an online list service for people doing
research in Grayson County, Virginia, or for people doing research in a wider
geographic area, such as the New River Valley area which covers the border
counties in the southwest corner of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. You
might join a society of people doing research in Surrey, England or some other
place from which your ancestors came to the United States. There are some
societies for people who have ancestors who were pioneers in a particular state
You might join a one-name society (the Campbells, the
Benningtons, the Greers, or thousands of others). These genealogy societies
don’t have to be in your town. Membership dues vary but many are as little as
$10 a year and you get a copy of the newsletter or magazine with the privilege
of putting queries in the publications for free.
There are also lineage societies to join but often you will
have to prove that you are a descendant of, for example, someone who fought in
the American Revolution or someone who came over on the “Mayflower.”
are ethnic societies to join, for example: Polish Genealogical Society of
America, Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado, Ancient Order of Hibernians in
America, Sons of Norway, Czech and Slovak Genealogical Society, etc. See Cyndi’s List for websites of many more ethnic societies.
Besides, local societies, there are state and national
societies. You may decide to join the National Genealogical Society or
the Federation of Genealogical Societies, These organizations have annual
conferences in various parts of the country with well-known speakers and
educational sessions to attend.
Take a Class
You may find that there is a genealogy or family history
course offered at your local community college. You may attend workshops and
lectures at the public library in your town. Brigham Young University has a
certificate and degree program as well as an Independent Study program with free
online courses offered by well-known professional genealogists. Contact them at
http://e-learn.byu.edu or call 1-800-914-8931.
National Genealogical Society offers a home study and an online course. Check
them out at www.ngsgenealogy.org/.
Me! Can you find the closest genealogical society to me?
Me! Can you find an ethnic, lineage, or a one-name society
relevant to my area of research?
To ask these or similar questions, click on Help
Me!, fill out the form that comes up, and submit your questions.