This site is intended for those who are considering compiling their family History. The ability to access the web-sites, create tables with Word-processing ,spreadsheets or web publishing software is assumed
It will also be necessary to visit
personally (or have someone visit on your behalf) one or more of the following:
The public library or County Record Office in the county in which your ancestors resided.
An LDS Family Record center (FHC)
A National Family Record Center
The Public Records Office

Try to gather as much information as possible from family members, even if it's just the name of the place where they grew up.
This will give you a starting point.

Find out as many significant dates as you can, maybe your parents will tell you their birth and marriage dates and those of their parents.
Names of event locations will also help, as will birth, death or marriage certificates.

Although it is a difficult subject to broach, try to find out where relatives are buried (cemetery, county and so on)

Compare notes.

Find out if any of your relatives have previously done any genealogical research. This could save you a great deal of time
and prevent you from conducting any research twice.

Ascertain who is the eldest surviving member of your family and make plans to visit them. Take a tape recorder or Dictaphone
with you to record the conversation say you can pay full attention. Ask at least the following key questions during your talk.

Ask the to volunteer what they know about the family.

Find out where your relatives are buried.

Ask if they know any dates for birth, deaths or marriages.

Get them to tell any family stories.

Ask if they know any other living relatives that you could visit and talk to.

USE THE NET.

Search the internet for the surnames such as your own, your mother's maiden name, a grandmother's maiden name and so on. This may identify others researching the same genealogical lines as yourself.

Visit your local library and see if they or it can point you in the right direction for researching any places of interest you have found from interviews and Census records.

Consider joining a local genealogical or family history society as well as similar societies based at locations where your research is concentrated.

Genealogy used to be a very isolated pursuit, but now there are many more people involved in these projects, and the societies they have set up often carry out valuable work. They typically produce useful journals and directories cataloguing their member's research interests.