Getting Started — 8 tips for creating your family history

Create a project schedule
Dedicate a calendar specifically to your project and flag key dates: when you want to complete interviews with relatives, when you want to finish the genealogy portion, etc.

Let family members and relatives help
You may quickly become overwhelmed if you take on the project entirely by yourself. Enlist older children to interview aunts and uncles, ask grandparents to jot down memories, and let cousins transcribe taped conversations. This might be the most unifying, fun pursuit you’ve ever tackled together.

Not all Web sites are created equal
Three safe bets are www.lutheransonline.com, www.familysearch.org, and the National Archives site: www.archives.gov/genealogy. Be wary of any Web sites that charge exorbitant fees. With some searching, you can probably find similar services for free elsewhere.

Become an investigator
Though the Internet may end up being your best tool, don't forget tried-and-true research vehicles such as newspaper archives; court, immigration, and military records; and census records.

Don't forget family records
Letters, scrapbooks, family Bibles, photographs—all of these can provide priceless clues to your family history. To preserve these records for future generations, consider creating digital files either with your own computer or at a full-service copy center.

Overwhelmed? Professional genealogists are available for hire
One reputable listing is available at www.archives.gov/research/hire-help and is categorized both by topics (e.g., African American history, military) and by region.

Back up as you go forward
Too many heartbreaking stories exist about family historians who lose months'-worth of computer files when their systems crash or when their paper files get accidentally tossed out with the trash. Make a habit of backing up your files—both digitally and with old-fashioned photocopying.

Reward your progress often
Arrange family get-togethers every few months to give a show-and-tell of what you've gathered so far. Doing so will likely inspire others to be as passionate about your family's history as you are.

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