The Five-Step Research Process

As you do family history research, you will typically follow five steps. These steps, taken in sequence, are called the "research process." They are:

• Step 1: Identify What You Know About Your Family

  This step includes filling out a pedigree chart and family group records with what you already know about your family, gathering additional information from home sources and relatives, and organizing your records for easy access. Use your PAF file to compile this information.

   

• Step 2: Decide What You Want to Learn About Your Family

  This step involves selecting a specific ancestor about whom you would like to know more, determining what you would like to know about that ancestor, and preparing a research log.

   

• Step 3: Select Records to Search

  This step involves identifying the category of record you need to search in order to find out what you would like to know. This record category might be a compiled record, an original record, or a reference source. The step then involves identifying the specific record to be searched next, and describing it in your research log.

   

• Step 4: Obtain and Search the Record

  This step involves obtaining the record from the Family History Library, or another repository, searching it, and recording the results of the search on your log. You may also make an extract or photocopy of that information.

   

• Step 5: Use the Information

  This step includes submitting names for temple ordinances, submitting information to Pedigree Resource File, posting information on the Internet, writing family histories, and other uses of the information.

Refer back to these 5 steps whenever you are doing research. The sources below will assist you with steps 3 and 4 of the Research Process.

Types of Family History Sources

Sources of genealogical information about ancestors can be divided into two basic categories: compiled records and original records. When doing genealogical research, you should check compiled sources first to determine what has been done by other people, and then search original records. Always work from the known to the unknown.

• Compiled Records:

  These are records of research on individuals and families already done by others, such as family histories, biographies, or genealogies with pedigree charts and family group records. Though compiled records are very helpful, some information may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always carefully evaluate the information you find. Examples of compiled records include Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File.

   

• Original records:

  These are records created at the time of important events in your ancestor's lives. For example, a local church or government may have recorded your ancestors' births, christenings, marriages, or burials.

Sources for Research

• Family History Library Catalog (FHLC)

  The Family History Library Catalog lists and describes the records, books, microfilms, microfiche, maps, and other materials available in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. These records will be of great use to you in your research. You can use the FHLC to identify and order records to use in a local family history center. To learn more about ordering records, go to Lesson 6: Family History Centers.

  To use the FHLC:

  1. Click here to open FamilySearch.org.

  2. Click the Library tab.

  3. Click Family History Library Catalog in the purple bar at the top.

  4. Choose from the various searches including:

     • Place: used to locate records for a certain place such as city, county, state, etc.

     • Surname: used to locate family histories which include that surname.

     • Keyword: used to search for a record using any word or phrase.

     • Author: used to search for a record by author.

     • Subject: used to search for a certain topic.

     • Call number: used to identify the corresponding book.

     • Film/fiche number: used to identify the corresponding film or fiche.

     • Title: used to locate records or books according to their titles.

  To do a surname search:

  1. Click Surname Search.

  2. Type in a surname or last name, click search.

  3. A list of family histories with that surname will be shown. Click on a title to see the detailed information.

  4. Review the notes to decide if this history is one that would include your ancestor.

  5. Click View Film Notes to see the microfilm number for this record.

  6. To print, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.

  To do a place search:

  1. Click Place Search.

  2. Type in a place of interest. Search either by town/city, county, state/country. Each jurisdiction has different records available, so it is important to search all jurisdictions for your area (i.e. both the city and county records).

  3. Click Search.

  4. Click the correct place from the search results.

  5. Click on the topic you are interested in.

  6. Click the record you want to see.

  7. Click Film Notes to see the microfilm number.

  8. To print, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page.

  Search in the catalog for your surname and various places that your ancestors lived, looking for information that might be relevant to your research.

  Note: There are other versions of the Family History Library Catalog. If you are interested, click here to see a comparison chart.

   

• Internet Research

  There are more than 9 million websites having to do with Family History research. Some sites charge a fee to search their database, while others are free. Here is a list of some of the most-used web sites and how to use them.

  • CyndisList.com - This free web site provides links to other family history web sites by categories. It is the "card catalog" to family history on the internet. Search by subject, surname or place.

  • Ancestry.com - This Web site finds personal family history web pages submitted to Ancestry World Tree, U.S. Social Security Death Index entries that contain your ancestor's name, and records within Ancestry's "fee" databases. "Fee" databases include census indexes and images, birth, marriage, and death, military, immigration, newspapers, biographies, and more. Type in a name and see what you get!

  • Genuki.org.uk - This site serves as a "virtual reference library" of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the United Kingdom and Ireland. Click Enter this large collection... and then pick a region.

  • USGenWeb.org - This volunteer project provides family history websites for every county and state in the United States. Other projects they are developing include archive, census and tombstone databases. Try the project state pages to find a website for a county of your choice.

  • WorldGenweb.org - This volunteer project provides family history websites for every country in the world. Click an area of the world and then the desired "GenWeb Project".

  • EllisIsland.org - Search for immigrant ancestors for the years 1892-1924.

  • raogk.org (Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness) - This website is full of volunteers willing to look up information. The only request is that users return the favor at least once by volunteering for their own area.

  • Rootsweb.com - This free website serves to connect people so that they can share genealogical research by way of the WorldConnect Project, Surname lists, message boards, mailing lists, and more.

  • Immigrants.byu.edu - A project of the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young Univerity, this website contains a database of over 60,000 names from the British Isles, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

  Visit these sites to see what they have to offer.

Research Guidance

Located in FamilySearch.org, this site is designed to give the researcher a "Search Strategy" for their research. Once you have provided a place, event and time period, you will be given a list of records to search, in a recommended searching order. Each record will give step-by-step instructions, tips, descriptions and addresses or web links to lead you directly to that record. There are many links on this site so do not get frustrated if you get lost. Always go back to your "Search Strategy".

To use FamilySearch.org's Research Guidance:

1. Click here to open FamilySearch.org.

2. Click the search tab.

3. Click Research Guidance in the blue heading bar.

4. Notice the Research Assistant on the left side bar. She will tell you what to do for each step. Read what she has to say and then select a place.

5. Follow the Research Assistant's instructions and select an event and date range.

6. You will then be given your "Search Strategy." Again, follow the instructions of the Research Assistant and choose a record.

7. Continue through this site, reading and following the instructions from the Research Assistant.

Keep in mind the following:

• Always read what the Research Assistant has to say.

• Use your Search Strategy as your "homepage" for this site.

• Make use of the many links.

Assignments

Your instructor may assign you one or more of the following assignments:

Assignment #10 -- Perform a Surname Search in the FHLC:

1. Click here to open FamilySearch.org. Click on Library, then Family History Library Catalog.

2. Perform a surname search for your ancestor.

3. Print a record which includes an ancestral surname.

Assignment #11 -- Perform a Place Search in the FHLC:

1. Click here to open FamilySearch.org. Click on Library, then Family History Library Catalog.

2. Perform a place search for an ancestral locality.

3. Print 2 records of interest.

Assignment #12 -- Internet Research:

1. Spend time using at least 2 of the above websites for your family history.

2. Print 1 page of interest for each site.

Assignment #13 -- Research Guidance:

1. Click here to use Research Guidance.

2. Go through the steps mentioned in the lesson to use Research Guidance.

3. Write a half page paper including your "Search Strategy" suggested by the website, what you learned, and your findings.