Genealogy or family history?
Genealogy is the study of your genes (the names & dates), but family history includes the stories & "flesh on the bones"
Talk to your family
Get it all down (including who told you) - and keep it confidential
- Interviewing your relatives – http://programs.sbs.com.au/whodoyouthinkyouare/familytree/?type=tree&id=180
- Oral history - step by step guide – http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html
- Oral history - why do it? – http://www.marple.com/whyoral.html
- Oral history and folklore – http://www.nla.gov.au/oh/ (30,000 hours of original recording)
Collect photos, certificates, family Bibles, etc
Only carry photocopies with you - leave originals at home
- Looking after your family archive – http://www.naa.gov.au/services/family-historians/looking-after/index.aspx
- Preserving photographs – http://www.photographymuseum.com/archival.html
- Preserving your records – http://www.jaunay.com/conserve.html
- Preserving (printed) digital photos or documents – http://www.wilhelm-research.com/articles_pcworld.html (See also "Additional Articles by WIR" - some are very large files)
- Scanning, creating & editing digital photos – http://genealogy.about.com/cs/digitalphoto/a/digital_photos.htm
Work back from what you know
Start with your own details & work back one generation at a time, using details from one generation to help you find the previous
Pedigree chart – you need to know what to look for
- Charts and records – http://misbach.org/pdfcharts/
- http://www.gsv.org.au/forms/FAMGPSHT.pdf
- http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/resources-for/family-historians/how-to-start-your-family-history#worksheets
- http://genbooks.hypermart.net/free/forms.html
- http://genealogy.about.com/library/free_charts/bl_pedigree.htm
- http://www.ancestry.com/trees/charts/ancchart.aspx?
Write letters
Send emails or self-addressed stamped envelopes (or International Reply Coupon if overseas)
Keep a Research Log
Record everything you've found, and everywhere you've searched (even unsuccessfully)