You've decided to dig into your family history but aren't sure where to begin? These 10 basic steps will get you started on the fascinating journey into your past.
1. Begin with Names
First names, middle names, last names, nicknames...names often provide an important window into the past. Names in your family tree can be found by looking at old certificates and documents, by
asking your relatives, and by looking at
family photos and
newspaper clippings (wedding announcements, obituaries, etc.). Search especially for
maiden names for any female ancestors as they may help identify the parents, taking you back a generation in the family tree.
Naming patterns used in the family may also hold a clue to previous generations.
Family surnames were often adopted as given names, as were middle names which sometimes indicate the maiden name of a mother or grandmother. Watch also for
nicknames, as they may also help you identify your ancestors. Expect to encounter plenty of
spelling variations as name spellings and pronounciations generally evolve over time, and the surname your family uses now may not be the same as the one they began with. Names are also often just written down wrong, by people who spelled phonetically, or by individuals trying to transcribe messy handwriting for an index.
2. Compile Vital Statistics
As you search for the names in your family tree, you should also gather the
vital statistics that go with them. Most importantly you should look for dates and places of
births,
marriages and
deaths. Again, turn to the papers and photos in your home for clues, and
ask your relatives for any details they can provide. If you run across conflicting accounts -- two different birth dates for great Aunt Emma, for example -- just record them both until more information comes along which helps point to one or the other.
3. Collect Family Stories
As you quiz your relatives about names and dates, take time to
elicit and write down their stories as well. The
'history' in your family history begins with these memories, helping you to really get to know the people your ancestors were. Among these stories you may learn of special family traditions or
famous family legends that have been passed down from generation to generation. While they will likely contain some creative remembrances and embellishments, family stories generally have some basis in fact, providing clues for further research.
4. Select a Focus
After gathering names, dates and stories about your family, the next step is to choose a specific
ancestor, couple, or family line on which to
focus your search. You could choose to learn more about your dad's parents, an ancestor you were named after, or all descendants of your maternal grandparents. The key here isn't what or who you choose to study, just that it is a small enough project to be manageable. This is especially important if you're just starting out on your family tree quest. People who try to do it all at once tend to get bogged down in details, often overlooking important clues to their past.
5. Chart Your Progress
Genealogy is basically one big puzzle. If you don't put the pieces together in just the right way, then you'll never get to see the final picture. To make sure your puzzle pieces end up in the proper positions you should use
pedigree charts and family group sheets to record your research data and keep track of your progress.
Genealogy software programs are another good option for recording your information, and will allow you to print out the data in a nice variety of chart formats.
Blank genealogy charts can also be downloaded and printed for free from many different online sources.
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Next Steps for Finding Your Roots 
This blog post comes to you courtesy of Dick Eastman from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, and his policy of allowing others “to copy the articles from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter Standard Edition and to publish them elsewhere”.
There are literally millions of web pages on genealogy and it is easy to get lost so that you can't see the forest for the trees. Where do you go first? Let's look at the sites that are likely to give you quick and easy results. To the left you will find links to the most important British American genealogy web sites. Go 
directly to these sites and find information about your ancestors and relatives. If you need more background on Internet resources, there are pages describing the different types of resources and examples on how you can use them to expand your family history knowledge. 
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It’s been a day for mobile genealogy apps and press releases. Earlier today, Ancestry.com announced their new, free, Apple iPad genealogy app. While Ancestry.com has an updated app for non-iPad iOS devices (including iPhone and iPod touches), this represents a redesign and feature upgrade (down to to a new icon), and it is specific to the iPad. 
