South Bay Cities Genealogical Society

Promoting Genealogical Education and Research in Southern California's South Bay

Research: Beginner's Basics

by Connie Moretti

Beginner's Basics is a series of short articles for the beginner on how to start researching their family, and for the intermediate researcher to remind them of things they may have forgotten.

• Starting Out Right: Supplies and software to begin your journey.
• The Vice Principle: There are two important classes of records you will need to navigate.
• Looking At the Whole Family: The kin of each of your ancestors may give you clues to your ancestor.
• By The Numbers: Numbering systems for keeping tracking of the people in your genealogy.
• Location, Location, Location: The importance of geography in your research.
• Birds of a Feather: Your relatives' friends and acquaintances can inform you about their lives.
• Keeping Up With the Joneses: Where did your relatives stand economically?
• GPS For Your Family: How reliable is the information you have found?
• All Alone and Feelin' Blue: Connecting with groups (like South Bay Cities Genealogical Society), using social networking and mail lists, and even sending postal mail, can provide both insights and guideposts for your research.
• Just A Dash: The task of a genealogist is to find the information hidden in the simplistic description of a life as two dates.
• Finding the (up)Right Files: Navigation of the ubiquitous filing cabinet for the treasures we seek.
• Just In Case: Learning the techniques used by others, to help find your own family history.
• Dollars and Sense: Getting the most bang for your genealogy buck.
• Are You a Bricklayer?: Avoiding the pitfalls that can limit your research.