Gather your family records and stories. These are your starting points.
Try local or county libraries. They most likely have a local history or genealogy section. Also, they often have a subscription to Heritage Quest or Ancestry.com.
Keep track of your research using PhpGedView or another method. Back up your electronic records. Ancestor Tree performs backups, but you should download your Gedcom file from time to time and store it in a safe place.
Try online sources: see our list We recommend starting at the Wikipedia Genealogy page . The links at the end of the article may be helpful.
Search databases and the web using variations of the surname you are looking for. Genealogy is inherently local, so searching for a locality and the words such as "genealogy", "birth records", "death records", "family history", or a name or surname is often helpful.
There are public domain books available at archive.org, heritagequestonline.com (if available through your library), and google.com.
Consider a temporary subscription to fee-based services such as ancestry.com to research difficult questions.
Local or county historical societies often have genealogical sections. Sometimes there are genealogical societies specifically for this purpose. State and regional historical societies are sometimes helpful. National archives and societies or archives based on country of origin, religion, or ethnicity may also aid research.
Civil and religious records are the standard. Every jurisdiction has its own procedures. Some are freely available on the web. Searchable records on the web are a very powerful tool. Please support organizations that maintain these sites.
Relatives in other branches of your family may have records of your common ancestors.
