I'm only slightly farther along with my family information. I, too, have not 'entered' it on any type of Family Tree software -- so I have all of the same questions. (My last immigrant ancestor came prior to the construction of Ellis Island and the first I know about came before the American Revolution.)

Is there a Genealogy Forum outside of the 'Ancestry Industry'? Many years ago I had used a wonderful self-help forum on Prodigy. (Now you know how long ago I *started* this often-delayed project.)

Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com work together. You can search Ancestry.com from within Family Tree Maker and add facts and sources almost automatically. I have been using it for years and have found relatives I didn't know I had. Just enter the facts in FTM and go from there. Jump in with both feet, you'll be amazed at what you will find. Good luck.

ancestry .com used to be a great place to start, but now they charge more than i like to pay...still free, i think, are the mormons..they have about best records you can ask for..(altho not ss or census, which is one thing about a.c)

call, write, any and all family.

chisue, i don't know how my uncle obtained it, but we have a certified number verifying we're are decendants from revolutionary war, and could join the "d.a.r." org...it used to be a big deal years ago to join, but you never hear about it anymore...

don't forget about maiden names of grandmothers, either...often families will have information mentioning who married and children...if you've been in one location for long time, funeral parlors keep excellent records...we filled out a mini ancestry question sheet when my mother passed, altho she only lived here a short time...

visit your local cemetary...while our family has had passing of all but one uncle, they have all been interrned in a family "plot"...uncle bought rights several years ago, so while i may be creamated, they can place a headstone if my family desired...

enjoy your adventure! my half sister traced a branch of her mom's family to scotland. while she passed before she could visit, my neice did, and was warmly welcomed!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://mormonancestry.com/

A link to one of my favorite sites is below. It's USGenWeb.org. It lists all the states, you click on a state then you can go to the different counties from there. You can research anything from surnames, to census reports, to newspapers.. any much much more. Also, don't forget about FindAGrave. It's also one of my favorites. You will more then likely find many descendants there and if they don't have a memorial, you can create one then request a photo of the tombstone and a volunteer in the area will take it and add it to the memorial. Most of the time they do anyway.. I have a few photo requests that's been out there for a while but that's pretty rare. You might also want to become a volunteer in your area to take photos. You will definately want a Family Treemaker program. Genealogy is so much fun and so rewarding and also sooooo addictive.. best of luck to you in your research...

Here is a link that might be useful: usgenweb

If you feel you can spend 200.00 or more the Family Tree/Ancestry.com is good and improving all the time. My cousins researched back to the 1600's went to England etc. The expensive version gives you access all over the world. I also get a weekly newsletter (on line) that again is very helpful. If you are near a large Mormon church they are helpful. There are books with forms withing the book. I have other sources I will post where you can print off forms. Not sure if they are valid or not, but check out Family Group Chart and Family Search.org. Once you start searching you will get alot of stuff in your inbox. Just be careful how you respond and what information you give out.
Like someone here said several years ago, we could use an Genealogy forum. I think it would be more active that some of the ones we have.
Marie

Sometimes the public library staff can be helpful.

I was researching the background on a now-deceased but well-known person who claimed to be born much earlier & in an entirely different state. From early census records, I knew it was otherwise. I emailed the pertinent public library for assistance.

Although this particular state didn't have birth certificates until 1908 & the person was born in 1895, the librarian got interested in my project, and in a dusty drawer in a storeroom, she found previously unknown microfilm of a hand-written county "Birth Registration Ledger" from 1895-1896 which included my subject! Which item she kindly copied and sent me. She also located & sent me a copy of the their 1895 newspaper annoucing his birth. So now I had the proof & I was able to correct his Wikipedia page.

Sometimes good info comes from unsuspected places.

My father's side of the family was always a mystery to us. I started doing some genealogy research and discovered that his side of the family is very well known to our distant relatives, and they have it already detailed online back to the 1500s. I didn't have to look up a thing; it was already done for me.

I found it by doing a search for my surname at GenForum and found many distant relatives in our surname forum discussing all the details.

You might want to do a search for your family name there too, in case your distant relatives already have it done for you.

Here's a link for you, in case you haven't already been to GenForum:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://genforum.genealogy.com/

I've been using Ancestry.com for years, and it's the best. Sure beats years ago, when I used to have to drive to a LDS Family center and go thru microfiche.

I have Family Tree maker, and it does help to organize your info, store pictures and electronic copies of things like marriage documents, census records, etc.

BTW...I just have a basic membership to Ancestry. When I feel the need to go to European sources, I just get the access for a minimum time frame and then cancel or don't renew.

Thanks everyone. What you've said reinforces my initial idea. Splurge on Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker. Monica's suggestion to stay basic and then upgrade as needed is a good idea.

I do have a long list of other genealogy sources. There are so many that it can be overwhelming and I have both a NARA and a LDS record center near. But I'm hoping to start and glean all I can in one source then expand outward as my search progresses.

The fee for ancestry and family tree maker was a Christmas gift from my family but it's up to me to subscribe - I just wanted to make sure I was heading in the right direction.

Thanks again,

Maire

There are many different genealogy software programs, but Family Tree Maker is by far the most widely used. I've been using it forever and I love it. If you get it, and then ever decide that you want to use a different program, or send your info to a relative who uses a different software, all you'd have to do is export your database in GEDCOM (an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication) format. There are very easy steps to follow to do this -- basically it's about three or four mouse clicks!

One "word of caution" about Family Tree Maker -- they come out with an "upgraded" version virtually every year. You do NOT need to buy every upgrade. Just pay attention to what they say is "new and improved" in the newer version and only buy the upgrades that you think are worth it. Ancestry.com does offer each new version at a nice discount to folks who already own it and/or folks who subscribe to Ancestry.com.

You can create "scrapbooks" within Family Tree Maker -- by adding photos. You can print out family history books that contain stories that you enter into the software. You can print out descendant trees, ancestor trees, pedigrees, etc. You can save them into .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format so that you can send them to relatives who don't have the software, so they can at least see what you've got.

And, you can upload a GEDCOM of your Family Tree Maker database to Ancestry.com, to have the tree online. You can keep it totally private, so no one but you or your invited guests can see it; or you can make it public, so anyone can see it. Even when it's public, no one can see any info on folks who are, or may be, still living. They'd see "Living Smith" instead of "John Smith," etc. When you have your tree online, Ancestry is always searching in the background, to find possible matches - to historical records as well as other folk's online trees.

You'd be surprised at how many genealogical sites are now part of Ancestry.com. Genealogy.com used to be a totally separate entity - and they owned Family Tree Maker, too. Now, they're both part of Ancestry.com. RootsWeb is also part of Ancestry.com. And I'm fairly certain that Ancestry.com is now owned by the LDS.

One thing you should do is have a talk with your parents and ask to see old memorbila they have collected. As time goes by, a lot of old stuff gets tossed especially between moves. But you may be surprised about what you might find. If you are lucky, you will find a box of stuff like pictures, birthday cards, graduation notices, and marriage invitation. It is very important to identify people and places in the photos as soon as possible because identites are lost with each passing year and accuracy fades.

One unexpected source is school books, especially from grade school. Often these are filled with graffita that can provide clues, and the signatures of past owners of the book.

If you have uncles and aunts nearby, ask to see their collections too.

Invest in a good scanner because you will want to record images. In a pinch, you can use a digital camera as a document copier. When traveling, my camera has been an important tool. In addition to tombstones, I have used the camera to record displayed maps, family bibles, church records, newspaper clipings, and pages from journals. I have copied paintings made by two members of my family.

Learn to use the camera as a copier. A digital camera allows experimenting at very low cost. Experiment with objects around the house until you work out techniques that work for you. The experimental photos can be discarded at low cost. Get experience with setup, lighting, camera settings, tripod use, and hand held techniques. Do this before you make a data trip.

Carry spare batteries and a charger.