Genealogy 101: 4 things to know about starting to research your family tree

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or even Festivus, family get-togethers over the holidays are a great time to gather information and learn about your genealogy.

As an amateur genealogist since 2000, I haven't been researching my family lineage very long — at least not compared to how far back I've been able to trace it.

My interest in family history probably dates back to a class project I had done in grade school. Fortunately, my mom had started the process, collecting information about herself and my dad, their parents and their grandparents. Just the basics: dates and places of births, marriages and deaths, along with lists of their children, their spouses and their children.

I was lucky. A lot of the information my mom found had come from the pages of a family Bible on which my great-grandmother had kept meticulous records of all her descendants.

So when my interest began in earnest as a junior in high school, I already had access to a pretty decent starting point.

Among the stories I discovered were those of a great-great-grandfather who had ridden the rails halfway across the country in search of his high school sweetheart; a 4x-great-grandfather who had owned the barn that authorities had burned to the ground in order to smoke out a presidential assassin; and a 10x-great-grandfather who had hidden the sixth and final wife of a king who had opted to kill his wives rather than divorce them.

Over the past two decades, I've sort of learned or figured out a lot of things myself. Here are some of my helpful hints to help those of you who may be interested in learning more about the branches on your family tree:

Ask family members what they know about themselves and previous generations, including names, dates and places

Ask family members what they know about your shared history. Not only is this good if you're looking to fill out your own medical history, but it also can at least provide you with a starting point for tracing your roots.

Start with siblings, parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents, if they're still around. Ask what they remember about themselves and their immediate family members, including approximate birth years and locations, places where they might have lived, jobs they've had. Be sure to ask about any children and extended relatives they remember from growing up.

If they're OK with it, record the conversation. This will allow you to focus on the conversation instead of trying to spend your time taking notes on every detail. It also could end up serving as a neat keepsake for you and/or future generations, especially if you record a video.

Once you get the basics, even if it's back a generation or two, the greater the chance there will be others who are searching for the same family members you are.

Start documenting the information you've learned in a format that makes sense for you

Consider investing in a database system, either online or using a program you can save to your computer. Most also offer options to export your database to an online format, if you choose to do so later.

The advantage of using an online-based database, such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org, is that you can more easily track your sources whenever you enter a person. The downside: Unless you change the settings, your tree might show up in the online searches of other researchers. That's great if you're looking to connect, but not so much if you value your privacy.

Some programs are free, though you generally get what you pay for. I use a nice little program called Reunion for Macintosh, but there are a plethora of them out there. Research your options online and pick what's right for you.

Also, make sure you're documenting where and when you found the information — and be as specific and detailed as you can. Think of it as keeping a bibliography or a sources list. You might remember now where you found it, but you might not a year from now, and future generations likely won't have a clue.

Consider signing up for access to online resources, such as Ancestry.com

If you find yourself skeptical about whether to spend money on a membership to research sites like Ancestry.com, you're not alone. I was skeptical at first, too.

I eventually caved and signed up. One of the advantages, at least for Ancestry, is that its algorithms will find possibly related documents once you find whom you're looking for. Be careful, though, as these helpful hints, as indicated by little green leaves, aren't 100% accurate. They might be for someone with the same age and location — or simply for someone with a similar name.

If you'd rather not spend the money, there are other options, too. Many sites open their databases for free, especially during the holidays, if you'd like to try them out before committing to the extra expense. You can also just do a bunch of research at once and save it to your computer, without having to pay.

Many free databases are out there, too, depending on the type of records you're seeking.

Among them are USGenWeb.org, FindAGrave.com, JewishGen.org and FamilySearch.org, the latter of which is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Don't worry: You don't have to belong to a particular religion or church; they're open for anyone to use.

Don't underestimate the power of old family photos, even if you don't know who the people are

Not only do photos provide a visual element to your family tree, but they also might contain valuable clues. Some might have writing on the back (or even the front) or other details that provide more information about the people in the image, where they were or what they were doing.

If you're not sure who the people are, ask others in your family. Even if they don't know, there probably was a reason the image was saved. Don't just throw it away because you don't know at the moment who they are. Further research could end up showing they're someone quite important to your research.

Consider keeping a written inventory of your family photos, including who's in each of them. This list can later be used as a source. If you have access to an image scanner, use it. Photos don't last forever, and the less you interact with them, the better.

Use digital scans for your everyday research and save originals in a fireproof and waterproof box. The same goes for any other important original documents, such as birth or death certificates and marriage licenses.

Nathaniel Shuda is the county government and growth reporter and Saturday editor and planner for The Dispatch.

nshuda@dispatch.com

@NathanielShuda

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Family tree research: 4 things to know about taking up genealogy