I've been working on my family history for 28 years. And since I retired, I've picked up the pace considerably. But I remember the days when I was just starting out, not really knowing where to go or what to do. I didn't know what software to buy or where to look for what. Fortunately, today we have many more tools available than I did back then. So, with modern methods in mind, I'm offering these suggestions.

Now, if you're getting to the point of wanting much more info or suggestions, be sure to check out my "Resources" page. But if you're looking for a couple of quick, no cost suggestions to get you going and see what's out there, then you're in the right place.

My philosphy is to start simple (and free), and then let your research and interests guide you. With that said, I recommend that you create an account on the following websites:

▶ FindAGrave.com
▶ FamilySearch.org
▶ WikiTree.com

The above three sites are not only free, but they don't have any kind of paid service. In other words, they won't be trying to sell you anything.

It's VERY important to know that all of the above sites are maintained by people like you and me. We're just a bunch of interested volunteers, entering data not just so we can keep track, but also so that others will find it and benefit from our research. That said, errors and mistakes are possible. Keep that in mind.

Create accounts

So, I suggest you create accounts in the order above. Start with FindAGrave. Look for headstones of people you know. Each page is called a memorial, featuring info about one deceased person. Notice that further down on each memorial it can list other family members (parents, siblings, spouses). So even though its focus is on gravesites and photos of headstones, it's also a simple genalogy site.

Then create an account at FamilySearch. This site is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Each page is a profile of one person. While I found this site a little confusing to grasp at first, it's a wealth of information about families and records. In addition to the profiles that are managed by people, they also have an incredible indexing process. For example, they will automatically find specific people in census records, which significantly reduces the time it takes to find info about your family. If you do happen to find one of your ancestors there, be sure to click the "VIEW TREE" button toward the top so that you can see a familiar-looking family tree.

Finally, create a WikiTree account. Similar to FamilySearch, this site is made up of profiles written by people. There are some basic fields for names, dates, and locations, but the rest is a free-form biography. WikiTree is very heavy on two things: privacy of living people and citing sources for your info. I've written MANY biographies on there and I've also benefited from the research of others. Their goal is one worldwide family tree. So, for example, I was entering info about my great grandfather and they prompted me saying that someone already created a profile for him. So I linked to that instead of creating a new one and boom, I was connected to all of his ancestors' profiles that were created by someone else. This is how I found out that I'm related to the Pope. I didn't do all of that research myself.

Real Examples

Before you get started, you may be interested in seeing some examples of real profiles or memorials. So here are a few from my family:

▶ Oliver Champeau II (1849-1916) — A FindAGrave memorial for my 2nd great grandfather. Notice all of the biographical information that I wrote to clarify his burial location. While I'm the current "owner" of this memorial, it was created by someone else a few years back.
▶ Florian LeGrave (1880-1960) — A FamilySearch profile about my great grandfather. Notice all of the info about his family, his parents and 7 siblings, and his wife and 13 children. Also notice the many sources available including census records and draft registration cards.
▶ Stanley M. Crevier (1939-2018) — A WikiTree profile that I wrote about my dad. Notice the various types of info: basic facts, info about both marriages, census records, military career, etc.

Bonus Suggestion

If you use Facebook, consider looking for a group related to your interest. For example, there's are groups of users for the above three websites that I suggested: FamilySearch Users Group, WikiTree Members, Find A Grave Volunteers. There are also groups for specific ancestry areas like Belgians, French-Canadians, Norwegians, etc. These groups are not only a great place to find help but to also offer help to others based on your own experiences.

What's Next?

As you get more and more familiar with what information is out there about your family, it'll become obvious what information is missing. That's where you start. Maybe use some other resources that I've mentioned or go to your county clerk's office to find a birth certificate. When you feel comfortable, go ahead and take the plunge. Create a profile for one of your family members. Or visit a cemetery, take a photo of your grandparents' headstone, and upload it. You gotta start somewhere.

Be sure to hit me up for any specific guidance or suggestions.