Genealogical Research Instruction

Instructions on How to Do Genealogical Research

Below are articles that discuss the genealogical research process. Many of the pages overlap in scope.

• A Guide to Research
• Abbreviations Lists for Personal Names (English)
• Begin a search for confederate records
• Begin a search for Union records
• Begin Your Genealogy Quest
• Beginning African American Research
• Beginning Research of United States Indigenous Peoples
• Choose a Record Type
• Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)
• Collecting Previous Research by Others Part One: Home and Relative Sources
• Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Two: Online Family Tree Collections
• Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Three: Digitized Books
• Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Four: FamilySearch Wiki Tools
• Creation of Records
• Decide What You Want to Learn
• Describe the Records on a Research Log
• Determining If a Source is Relevant
• Document AS YOU GO
• England Getting Started
• Entering Unknown or Incomplete Names in Genealogy
• Evaluate and Use the Information
• Evaluate the Evidence
• Family History for Beginners
• Family History for the Flummoxed
• Flummoxed - Curiosity
• Flummoxed - Extending Family Lines
• Flummoxed - Leaving a Legacy
• Gather Family Information
• Gather Low-Hanging-Fruit Sources
• Genealogy
• How to Find Descendants in the United States
• Identify Candidate Families for Further Research
• Identify a Category of Sources
• Inferential Genealogy
• Locating Online Databases Part One: FamilySearch Wiki Sources
• Locating Online Databases Part Two: FamilySearch Historical and Library Records
• Locating Online Databases Part Three: Digitized Books
• Locating Online Databases Part Four: Internet Sources
• Major Databases for Beginning United States Research
• New to Genealogy - Beginners First Step
• Obtain and Search the Records
• Obtain the Records
• One Family at a Time
• One Research Objective at a Time
• Organize the New Records
• Organize your genealogy
• Organize Your Records
• Organizing Your Files
• Prepare a Research Log
• Principles of Family History Research
• Principles of Family History Research For Further Reading
• Recall Information
• Record the Results
• Record_Useful_Information
• Research a Family in Community Context
• Research Process
• Restart the Research Cycle
• Rookie Mistakes
• Search the Records
• Select Records to Search
• Select Specific Records
• Select the Easiest Research Objective
• Share the Information
• Solving Tough Research Problems—Overcoming Brick Walls
• Spelling Substitution Tables for the United States and Canada
• Surname Research
• Transfer the Information
• United States Basic Search Strategies
• United States Census Analyzing Census Data
• Use Appropriate Forms
• Use the Information
• View the Records
• Websites for Family History Beginners
• What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected

Research Resources

• Research Tools
• Research Resources
• Research Forms
• Research Guides Now in the FamilySearch Wiki
• Resource Checklist

International Institute

• Developing Genealogical Research Skills - International Institute
• Organizing the Research Process - International Institute
• Research Checklist - International Institute
• Summary of Genealogical Research Skills - International Institute
• What Genealogy Means - International Institute

Full Process

• Identify What You Know