Tips for researching your ancestors

The following list is where I'd begin my research:

Talk to everyone in your family about what they know about the ancestors, keeping in mind that memories can fade and that some of their information is inaccurate. (Great Grandma was a full-blooded Native American or we came over on the Mayflower are two examples of information that is said over & over that is usually not true.) Write down what you've found out.

Buy or download a free genealogy program to organize your information. Brother's Keeper is shareware and can be downloaded for free. This way all of your information is organized and can be emailed to someone easily.

Explore "Resources". In this section you will also find many links to great sites for beginners. 

Use ALL types of spellings when you look for records. Many times the spelling changed (Hawley to Holley) or the person writing down the information had trouble deciphering the script. Sometimes names are spelled so "screwy" that your best bet is just to go through the pages. The "s" looks like "f" in some old script, so Smith could look like Fith to a beginning transcriber.

Use the search engine on this web and others to locate surnames. 

This is the Ancestry Query Board. If you wish to submit queries or see past queries, I will have to research the query boards. Ancestry has removed the link I had. Please check back.

Join the new facebook group that I created for Pike County

Check census records in the county and in surrounding counties. The 1850 census records begin listing all of the family members and where each was born.

Check the Cemetery records. I have started transcribing cemetery records but this will take time. 

Check the funeral home listings. Many times people did not have money to buy a tombstone, but their remains were handled by an undertaker.

Check your local libraries and genealogical societies in your city to see if they have any biographical information on the family you are searching for.  Many have online resources.

Check the birth, death and marriage records. Those may list parents names, etc. Get copies of these records by ordering them from the appropriate source.  I will be creating a new page for vital records, please be patient.

Check The old newspapers, Chronicling America is a free resource. You may need to write one of the libraries to see if your family member's name is listed in the index. I can do online searches if you provide the details.

If the ancestor was in the Civil War, order the records! They have a great deal of information in them!  WikiTree Civil War Project has a wealth of info, it's free and there is a message board (G2G) to post questions, worldwide.

"Trust but Verify," ensure you have reliable sources, have fun and keep an open mind!