Beginning Your Research Step 1 – FamilySearch.org

On FamilySearch.org, starting your research is simple.

1. Open your ancestor’s page and look to the right of the screen. You’ll see these drop-down menus: Research Help, Search Records, Latest Changes, Tools, and Print. Some might be expanded some might not. Click on the arrow to the left side of the menu to expand or shrink the options.
2. When you expand Search Records, you’ll see some common databases that you can search through. I always start with FamilySearch. It’s free and it’s easy to attach the sources you find to your ancestor. (Searching through the other databases, such as Ancestry, requires you to have an account to research.)
3. From here you can start opening different sources and comparing it with what you already know. Some things you should compare are birthdates, death dates, spouse, parents, children, and even location.
   
4. When researching women, you’ll usually be searching with their maiden name. Because of this, you may want to refine your search and change their last name from their maiden name to their married name. Census records and death records may not have their maiden names listed. To do this, look to the left of the research screen and click on Refine Your Search.
5. When you find a match, go ahead and attach the source and input any new information onto their page.

Don’t be afraid to look around and click links. This is how you learn the website and find out what is available. However, when saving information or merging people please make sure the information is accurate before making any changes.