How to start your Genealogy records

The information on my home page is there to help others find a name that I have researched and see if it matches. What is on my home page is all the information I have on any family research. (There are other family names that I have not yet put on this page, and there is ongoing additions to existing names which will eventually be added here.)

If you are researching the LOCKE name, the "Book of the Lockes" contains many people who were born before 1850, the Locke Family Association has books on other Locke immigrants.

There is a Williamson book that is very extensive and available in the Philadelphia Public library.

Before you can use any of the above referenced information you must first create your own accurate records.

There are two things to expect in this line of inquiry:

• you must get your information organized.
• and you must be willing to do some research.

Resources found in my Misc. section:

• How to start your genealogy records. (this paper)
• Use this Pedigree chart for the big picture.
• Organize your family information.
• Figure out your relationships with this chart.
• Tips for gathering your family information.

Start with a copy of the pedigree chart. Open your word processor and edit the pedigree chart, and print out a copy. Then fill in all the information that it prompts you (names, dates and places). Make sure you are using Courier type size 10 so it looks right. Courier uses an equal space for each letter, all other types are proportional.

This is how it should look:

                 Paternal    +--his mother
              +--Grandfather-|
              |              +--his father
     +-father-+
     |        |  Paternal    +--her father
     |        +--Grandmother-|
     |                       +--her mother
You--|
     |           Maternal    +--his father
     |        +--Grandfather-|
     |        |              +--his mother
     +-mother-+
              |  Maternal    +--her father
              +--Grandmother-|
                             +--her mother

Fill in the dates and places so you can see what you know and what you need to find out. (Use a dark pencil so you can erase mistakes.)

Next go to the Family Group Record and use it as a format for each family unit (parents and children). Edit the Family Group record with your word processor and print out several copies. Now start filling in all the information you have and you will discover what you need to find. Do this with PENCIL (so you can erase mistakes and/or make changes as you go).

Punch these pages with a 3 hole punch and put them in a dedicated 3 ring binder.

(I suggest you print this out or save it as STARTUP.TXT)

Now go to Tips for gathering your family information.