Day 2: Getting My Feet Wet with a Record Search

Today I decided to find a source record to fill in the virtually sourceless PAF file I received form my husbands family. Although I should have done more research to see what his family already knew, I decided to jump right in and find a record. I need the experience. Perhaps next time I will gather info from relatives.

After fiddling around on the Internet for 20 minutes I decided I better ask for help. So I called my mom so she could point me in the right direction. After the call I found myself on the pilot record search engine on FamilySearch Labs: http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html There isn't a whole lot there yet, but there are multiple US Census records that are very useful.

Day 2: Get my feet wet with a simple record search.

First:Find an ancestor who has lived anywhere from 1850-1900

Second: Go to FamilySearch Labs Record Search

Third: Type in the individual's name, place, and date range.

Fourth: Compare the records that come up with the information you already have.

Fourth: If it is the right person, add it as a source(see example).

It took me a couple of tries (15min) before I found someone I was looking for because I didn't know what years to look in. Hopefully you'll go straight to results with the steps above. Let me know how it goes!

Growing up I didn't understand the thrill my mom got from genealogy. It always seemed so boring, but I have to admit how exciting it was to find mention of an ancestor in a census. There is a certain reverence you feel when you realize who they are and what they did in their lives. They become actual people when you see their name and their family members together on that record.