The following excerpt is from NYtimes.com website, 11/6/2013
Starting Our Genealogical Journey
Q. I am the ultimate beginner. I am curious about my family history, but I don’t even know what I’m looking for or where to begin. What’s the best way to start going down what is clearly a rabbit hole? What kinds of documents are the easiest to hunt down and the most informative to find? Where do I go looking for such things, and how much information do I need to have already?
A. Googling for Grandma is the most tempting way to begin. It’s also a good way to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of Google hits or to create an ancestral identity crisis by marrying Grandma off to a man she never so much as met. You’re wise to approach this as you would any other adventure you’re about to make into a different place whose customs and resources will be new to you.
