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The Beginner Course

Twelve short lessons that take you from your first questions to a well-sourced family tree. Read them in order, at your own pace. About 35 minutes of reading in all.

0 of 12 lessons complete

1
Your First 30 Days of Family History Research
A week-by-week plan for starting your family tree the right way, from interviewing relatives to finding your first census record.
3 min read
2
Interviewing Relatives: The Questions That Unlock Family History
Your older relatives know things no record will ever tell you. How to prepare, what to ask, how to record it, and what to do with the answers.
5 min read
3
Organizing Your Research So You Never Lose a Find
A simple system for files, notes and research logs that keeps your family history from turning into a pile of unlabeled downloads.
2 min read
4
Recording Names, Dates and Places the Right Way
Hospital town or hometown? Maiden name or married name? County then or county now? Simple conventions that keep your family tree clear, consistent and easy for others to use.
3 min read
5
How to Read the U.S. Federal Census (1790–1950)
What each federal census asked, which years are most useful, and how to get every clue out of a census page.
2 min read
6
Why Can't I Find My Ancestor in the Index? Search Tricks That Work
Misspellings, misread handwriting and transcription errors hide millions of ancestors from name searches. Wildcards, Soundex, sideways searches and browsing will find most of them.
3 min read
7
Finding Obituaries and Death Records
Death records often hold the most family information of any document. Here is where to find certificates, obituaries and indexes, and how to read them carefully.
2 min read
8
Cemetery Research and Reading Gravestones
How to find where an ancestor is buried, what to look for on the stone and in the cemetery office, and how to photograph old markers without damaging them.
2 min read
9
Free vs. Paid Genealogy Sites: What You Actually Need
How far you can get without paying, the free back doors into paid databases, and when a subscription is worth it.
2 min read
10
Your Public Library: The Most Underrated Tool in Genealogy
Your library card can unlock paid genealogy databases for free, plus local history collections, interlibrary loan and expert reference help. Here's how to use all of it.
4 min read
11
How to Use Online Family Trees Without Copying Their Mistakes
Other people's trees can be great leads or the fastest way to fill your tree with errors. How to tell the difference.
2 min read
12
Which DNA Test Should You Take? A Plain-English Guide
Autosomal, Y-DNA or mitochondrial? Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23andMe or FamilyTreeDNA? What each test can and can't tell you, and how to get the most for your money.
5 min read

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