Family History For Beginners – Top Genealogy Resources
Today I am sharing my top tips to research family history for beginners.
I started this family history for beginners guide after receiving old photos from my grandmother. Immediately I wanted to learn more about the people in the photos, including where they came from.
With so much information out there, I Quickly realized how important it is to use reliable sources. I will share with you what these sources are, and how to find them easily.
The best place to start is with yourself. You can later work your way back through generations. By using records such as birth, marriage, death, and census documents, you can piece together your family’s story with accuracy.
While family stories can provide clues, verifying information with documentation ensures your research is accurate. Below, I’ll guide you through where to begin and the best resources to help you along the way.
Where Do I Start With Family History For Beginners?
The best way to begin your family history research is to start with yourself and work backward.
Gather any personal documents you have, such as birth certificates, marriage records, and old family photos. Talk to relatives, but take their stories with a pinch of salt until you can verify them with records. People’s memories can fade, and sometimes family lore is more fiction than fact.
Once you have some basic names, dates, and places, start looking for official documents that provide evidence of these details.
Best Websites To Research Family History For Beginners
Online databases make researching your family history easier than ever.
There are several genealogy websites where you can search historical records, connect with relatives, and build your family tree. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the right one depends on your needs and budget.
1. Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com is one of the largest and most popular genealogy websites.
You can search through billions of historical records from around the world. More specifically, you can find birth, marriage, death, and census records, as well as military and immigration documents.
Ancestry also provides a powerful family tree builder and allows users to connect with potential relatives. Additionally, their DNA testing service can help identify ethnic backgrounds and family connections.
Pros:
- Largest collection of records
- Availability of DNA tests
- Create multiple family trees
- Can connect with other users who share ancestors and see their photos/ notes
- Easy-to-use family tree builder
Cons:
- Requires a paid subscription (Often has discounts during holidays)
- Some documents may be behind paywalls
Overall, Ancestry.com is the first resource I recommend to research family history for beginners.
I love the “hints” they provide if there is a document that matches an ancestors name. This makes it extremely easy to find records even if you’ve never done it before.
2. Familysearch.org
Familysearch.org is a free genealogy website operated by The LDS.
The website is a HUGE database and provides access to millions of historical records. Including census data, vital records, and land deeds. FamilySearch also has a collaborative family tree, where users can contribute information and work together to build an accurate genealogy.
The greats news is that many of its records are linked to digitized originals, and it partners with libraries worldwide to expand access.
Pros:
- FREE!
- Large database of records
- Collaborative family tree feature
Cons:
- Some records require visiting affiliated libraries in-person
- Shared family trees can contain errors
Familysearch.org is a great free genealogy resource that I encourage anyone new to family history to check out. You will be surprised how much information you can find without having to spend a dime.
Many of the features are beginner-friendly and easy to navigate making.
3. Newspapers.com
Newspapers.com is a digital archive of historical newspapers from across the United States and beyond. It allows users to search old newspaper articles, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, and even advertisements.
This resource is especially useful for uncovering details about ancestors’ daily lives, significant events, and community involvement that might not appear in official government records.
It is one of my favorite ways to put an entire story together about a person! Finding out where a family member immigrated from is interesting enough, but it takes it to a whole other level when you can learn how they spent their lives.
Pros:
- Access to old newspaper articles
- Find details about birth, marriage, obituaries, and announcements
- Includes specific dates to help piece together stories
- Adding new articles everyday
Cons:
- Requires a subscription
- Not every location or time period is available
It is essential to have historical context when doing beginners genealogy. And newspaper articles can give you factual stories surrounding a person or a time period.
It’s essentially like putting a puzzle together when you can combine multiple articles to create a cohesive storyline!
4. Public Libraries & City Records
Do not overlook public libraries for your family history research.
I’ve heard from others who have successfully accessed genealogy databases and newspapers archives for free at their local library. Your public library may also have historical records, city directories, local newspapers, and even genealogy research groups that can help guide beginners.
Pros:
- FREE access to local records
- Genealogy assistance from librarians and experts
- Availability of records not recorded digitally
Cons:
- Limited resources available
- Requires travel to in-person visits
Local archives may contain old court records, land deeds, and military service files that aren’t yet available online. Especially if your town is full of rich history and values the importance of preservation.
What Should You Be Looking For?
When researching your family history, knowing what to look for is key.
As I shared earlier, it is best practice to start with yourself. Then, work chronologically backwards from your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. Each of these types of records offers unique details that help you piece together your ancestry. Here are the main records to focus on:
- Birth, marriage, and death certificates – Confirm names, dates, places, and sometimes parents’ names. (I would start here!)
- Census records – Show family members, occupations, and addresses at different points in time.
- Military records – Provide service history, draft details, and sometimes physical descriptions.
- Passenger lists & immigration records – Reveal where ancestors came from and when they arrived.
- Land deeds & wills – Can show property ownership and family relationships.
Another tip when researching family history for beginners is to take notes along the way! When I first started digging into my family history, I was so excited and quickly for overwhelmed with the amount of data I was consuming.
It’s easy to lose track of where you found information, or even accidently save duplicates of the same source.
Keeping a detailed notebook of the sources you found will help keep you organized and avoid the common mistakes beginners make.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where do I start with family history?
The best place to start is with yourself and gather any documents you can. Talk to family members and use census records to work backward. Even small details can lead to bigger discoveries.
At the very least, a census record can give you the names of your ancestors. Once you have this information, you can dig deeper and put their entire life together together.
2. What if I hit a dead-end in my research?
A cool trick that has worked for me is to try different spellings of names. Auto-correct and Grammarly weren’t a thing back then, so it’s possible (and fairly common) for misspellings in various records.
Also check local archives, or look for siblings and cousins in records. Sometimes, a different family member’s record can unlock a new clue.
This post is about family history for beginners
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