How to get started tracing your family tree.

Another great site I would suggest is Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (www.raogk.org). This site is invaluable to researchers that can't get to a certain area where their ancestors came from and the information is not readily available online. People at RAOGK will happily do lookups for you only charging for copies and other such expenses. One thing I've learned as a genealogist is that research moves forward faster with a collaborative effort and we're all here to help each other. ;)

www.ancestry.com helped me immensely. My grandmother already had some of our genealogy researched, and because of the internet I managed to get us farther in one summer than she did in her entire lifetime! I like ancestry.com more now because they have more databases, actual census images, etc.

I have been working on my genealogy as well. It's been great. I have hit a wall and decided to take a break before I burn out. I started by talking to relatives and was suprised how much they remembered. They were a great help. I have a subscription to ancestry.com That site is great. I have meet relatives there that I would have never known about. They have been a great help as well. Most of them have been at it a lot longer than me. I just started about a year ago. If you would give me some info I could see what help I could provide.

I would add that you should make copies of documents you see at others homes, if they won't let you go make a copy and they don't have a computer and scanner then write down all the information you can on the document. Also, when relatives show you pictures write down stories, names, dates, and etc. If you can get a copy of the picture then make sure to include the information on the photo. If you have an older relative ask them to please write on the back of the photos Who, When, and Where the photo is related to. A name at the least, preferably first and last name if not full name. I am pushing my Aunt to do this as she is leaving her photos to my cousin and I. We have no clue who might be in those pictures. When I am back there visiting I scan and scan and scan photos and try to get the names of the people in the photos at the very least. If she does not remember who they are I still scan them as they are related and perhaps someone else in the family will be able to tell me who is in the photo.

Thanks for the site. I have always wanted to do my daddys family.