Genealogy, where to begin?

I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of non-family members who have commented on this blog & the genealogy research. Many have also asked about how to go about starting their family tree & the research involved. Here are my recommendations and what has worked for me.

Genealogy sites like Ancestry.com can get expensive, especially if you choose the search products which include world records. At some point in your research it may be worth the money, save you some time, and put you in touch with other family trees researching the same descendants. However, it was also a lot of fun and gave me satisfaction when I searched for many of the clues and records individually on the free websites and search engines that are available.

My first suggestion is to open a free account at MyHeritage.com. I really like the way the family tree is managed in the "modern view" tab. It is fluid & allows you to maneuver the page by dragging the mouse as opposed to other site's trees that are more linear, classic family trees. It also allows you to expand or narrow your scope or switch to other tree branches with tabs attached individuals. When you select an individual in the tree you can open the left side panel and add life facts to a person & see the chronological facts of that person's life. This site is free up to a certain amount of people included in the tree. MyHeritage also gives you "Smart Matches" to other family trees where you can see some of the other research or family connections other genealogists have achieved.

I also have an account with Ancestry.com and have been very happy with the search capabilities and their "tips" that pop up attached to an individual with a little waving leaf. Their trees are more traditional and the individual's facts page is clear but takes more time to add the details but some information can be automatically added by attaching a census page or other search discovery to an individual, which is quite handy.

Here are some of the free search websites that I have found invaluable during my research:

• https://www.familysearch.org/ - A great resource made available by the Church of Latter Day Saints. Allows a broad search or search by specific collection or country.
• http://www.italiangen.org/VRECLIST.stm - Provided by the Italian Genealogical Group, this site has information that many of the other sites do not have. It is New York City & Long Island based info only though.
• https://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html - Another valuable tool are newspaper archives. The NY Times provides free access to articles from pre-1923 and you will have to pay for later articles, including obituaries and marriage notices.
• Other newspapers, such as The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, can offer valuable tips and information.
• http://www.findagrave.com/ - gives info on cemeteries and if you get lucky, there may be a photo of the headstone with birth/death dates. Perhaps other family members, as well.
• Foreign information is more difficult to find. Here is one site that gives you some tips on where to look for Irish records: http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/index.html
• http://www.fold3.com/ - has some excellent military records, muster records & historical info. Some of it is free & some requires a subscription, which you can get monthly if you choose.
• Lastly, do not underestimate Google.com for your searches. Obviously, the results will be multitudinous but if you can narrow the search as much as possible you may be surprised what pops up.

Don't be afraid to do some leg work on your own, too. On my last trip to NY I stopped at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx and was able to tie together some long lost details regarding my grandfather's side of the family and their plot. It would be wise to check the cemetery's website first or call for research assistance first but they should have records of all family members buried there and who purchased the plots. County libraries, the main branches, have great sources of info in their archives. The larger library systems have genealogy research specialists employed.

I hope this has been helpful for any aspiring genealogists. You will certainly be surprised and rewarded by what you find. And perhaps, we may discover that our families are related somewhere up the family tree.