Getting Started with Family History: A Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy Research

Have you ever wondered where you came from—not just the place, but the people, the stories, the roots? Genealogy is the journey of discovering those connections, and the good news is: you don’t need to be a historian or have a fancy subscription to get started.

Whether you’re looking to build your family tree or just want to know more about your grandparents' lives, here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you begin your family history journey.

1. Start With What You Know

You might be surprised how much you already have. Write down everything you know about your immediate family:

• Full names (including maiden names)

• Birth, marriage, and death dates

• Places of residence

• Occupations, religious affiliations, or military service

Use a simple notebook, spreadsheet, or a free family tree template to begin organizing the information. Start with yourself and work backward.

2. Talk to Your Relatives—Now

Your best sources of family history may be sitting at the next family gathering or just a phone call away. Older relatives can provide names, dates, family stories, and even clues that don’t exist in records.

Here are some starter questions:

• "What do you remember about your parents or grandparents?"

• "Do we have any old family photos or letters?"

• "Are there any family traditions or stories that were passed down?"

Tip: Record the conversation (with permission). These stories become priceless treasures later.

3. Organize Your Documents

Start gathering any family records you can find—birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries, letters, photographs, military records, even postcards.

Create folders (physical or digital) by family line or person. Label everything clearly. If you're scanning documents, be sure to save high-quality copies and back them up in multiple places (USB, cloud storage, etc.).

4. Use Free Online Tools

You don’t have to spend a dime to get started online. There are some fantastic free resources for beginners:

• FamilySearch.org – A massive free genealogy site with global records and a collaborative family tree.

• FindAGrave.com – Cemetery and burial records with user-contributed photos and obituaries.

• USGenWeb.org – A grassroots project of volunteers offering free genealogy info by U.S. state and county.

• The National Archives (archives.gov) – Free access to U.S. census, military, and immigration records.

Create a free account where needed, and begin exploring. Focus on just one ancestor or family line at first—it helps keep things manageable.

5. Expect Surprises—and Dead Ends

Genealogy is a puzzle with some missing pieces. You may discover unexpected name changes, lost relatives, or gaps in the paper trail. That’s normal.

When you hit a “brick wall,” don’t get discouraged:

• Try searching alternate spellings

• Look for neighbors or relatives in census records

• Join a genealogy group (online or local) for support

Remember: every detail you uncover is a step forward.

6. Celebrate and Share Your Progress

As your family tree grows, take time to reflect on what you’ve found. Share it with others—make a photo album, start a simple website, or print a timeline of your ancestors’ lives.

Genealogy isn’t just about the past—it’s a way to strengthen connections, honor those who came before, and preserve stories for those yet to come.

Getting started with genealogy doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Begin with curiosity. Gather what you know. Talk to your people. Use the tools available. And most of all—enjoy the journey.

You’re not just collecting names—you’re bringing your family’s story back to life.

Old Photos and Forgotten Stories: Preserving Your Family’s Visual History

We all have that shoebox—or old album—tucked away in a drawer, filled with fading black-and-white photos, unknown faces, and handwritten dates curling at the edges. These images are more than just snapshots; they’re fragments of your family’s story. And they deserve to be preserved.

Whether you’re a budding family historian or simply want to rescue the visual legacy of your ancestors, here’s how to breathe new life into those old photographs and ensure their stories aren’t lost to time.

1. Gather and Sort What You Have

Start by collecting all the family photos you can find—from your own home, relatives, or even attics and storage bins. Don't worry if they’re disorganized or in rough shape—this is just the beginning.

Sort them by:

• Family line or surname

• Approximate date or decade

• Event (weddings, holidays, military, school)

Use sticky notes or index cards to make initial labels. This will help later when digitizing and identifying people.

2. Scan and Digitize for Long-Term Preservation

Old photographs are fragile. Over time, they fade, tear, and deteriorate. Scanning them preserves a digital copy you can enhance, share, and store safely.

How to scan:

• Use a flatbed scanner (at least 300 dpi; 600 dpi for best results)

• Scan both front and back (notes on the back can hold vital clues!)

• Save in high-quality formats like TIFF or PNG for preservation; JPEG is fine for sharing

• Use consistent file names, e.g., Smith_Family_Reunion_1942.jpg

If you don’t have a scanner, there are excellent mobile apps like Photomyne, Google PhotoScan, and FamilySearch Memories for quick digitizing.

3. Restore and Enhance (Carefully)

Digital tools make it easier than ever to fix old photos without damaging the originals.

You can:

• Remove scratches and dust

• Brighten faded images

• Repair torn edges or missing spots

• Colorize black-and-white photos (optional and often controversial—do so respectfully)

Free or affordable tools include:

• Pixlr (online photo editor)

• Photopea (Photoshop-style interface in your browser)

• MyHeritage In Color & Enhance (for AI-based fixes and colorization)

Always keep a copy of the unedited scan!

4. Label and Tag with Names, Dates, and Stories

This part is crucial: A photo without context becomes a mystery. Add as much information as you can:

• Who is in the photo?

• When and where was it taken?

• What’s happening in the picture?

• Are there family stories connected to it?

Use metadata fields (in apps like Google Photos or Lightroom), or keep a document that links file names to full descriptions. If you’re uploading to family tree websites or cloud storage, take advantage of tagging and caption tools.

Don’t know who’s in a photo? Ask family members or post in genealogy forums—you might be surprised who recognizes a face.

5. Share Your Family’s Visual Story

Now that your images are safe, labeled, and enhanced, it’s time to share them:

• Create a digital album with folders for different family branches

• Start a private Facebook group for relatives to view, comment, and add their own photos

• Print a photo book that combines images with family stories and timelines

• Contribute to online family trees (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage) where other relatives can find them

You’re not just preserving photos—you’re inviting others into the larger story.

Old family photos connect generations in ways words alone can’t. A child seeing the face of a great-grandparent, a veteran’s uniform in crisp black and white, a handwritten date on the back of a love-worn image—these are the moments that make history feel personal.

Take the time to preserve your family’s visual history. Because one day, someone will be grateful you did.

Genealogy and DNA: What Your Genetic Results Can (and Can’t) Tell You

Over the past decade, at-home DNA tests have transformed genealogy from a paper trail into a personal journey through your genetic code. With a simple cheek swab or saliva sample, companies promise to uncover your ancestry, connect you with relatives, and reveal the secrets of your family tree.

But how much of that is reality—and how much is just good marketing?

In this post, we’ll look at what DNA testing can do for your family history research, what it can’t, and how to make the most of your results.

What DNA Can Tell You

1. Ethnicity Estimates (With a Grain of Salt)

Most people start with a curiosity about where their ancestors came from. DNA companies offer ethnicity estimates—percentages that suggest your heritage by region (e.g., 40% Irish, 20% Scandinavian).
While fascinating, these results are not exact science. They're based on comparing your DNA to modern reference populations, which are constantly being updated.

Bottom line: Use them as a general guide, not a precise breakdown.

2. DNA Matches with Living Relatives

Perhaps the most powerful tool in DNA testing is the match list—people who share segments of DNA with you, meaning you share a common ancestor.
These matches can help you:

• Find unknown cousins

• Break through research "brick walls"

• Confirm paper trails in your family tree

Some platforms (like AncestryDNA and MyHeritage) even suggest common ancestors based on shared matches and family trees.

3. Confirm or Challenge Lineage

If you’ve built a family tree through traditional research, DNA can help confirm relationships—or reveal surprises.
For example, Y-DNA (passed from father to son) and mitochondrial DNA (passed from mother to all children) can track deep ancestry along direct paternal or maternal lines.

What DNA Can’t Tell You

1. Exact Relationships

While DNA can tell you that someone is likely a close relative (say, a second cousin), it can’t tell you how you’re related. You’ll still need traditional research to place that puzzle piece.

2. Detailed Family Stories

DNA won’t reveal your great-grandfather’s profession or the name of the village your family left behind. For that, you’ll still need:

• Census records

• Immigration documents

• Church and civil records

• Oral history

3. Everything About Your Health or Traits

Some tests offer information about inherited traits or health risks—but these should be viewed cautiously. They’re not a substitute for medical advice, and not all testing companies are medically reviewed.

Tips for Using DNA Effectively in Your Research

1. Build a Family Tree
   Even a basic tree can help connect the dots between you and your matches. Some services let you link your tree directly to your DNA profile.

2. Use Shared Matches to Group Relatives
   Group your DNA matches by common ancestors or family lines. Tools like “Shared Matches” (Ancestry) or “Clusters” (MyHeritage) help you identify which side of the family a match comes from.

3. Upload to Multiple Platforms
   You can often upload your raw DNA data from one service (e.g., AncestryDNA) to others (like MyHeritage, GEDmatch, or FamilyTreeDNA) for free or a small fee. This increases your chances of finding useful matches.

4. Be Prepared for Surprises
   DNA can uncover unexpected truths—adoption, misattributed parentage, or unknown siblings. Take time to process these discoveries and approach them with empathy—for yourself and others.

5. Respect Privacy
   Not everyone wants to explore their genetic history. Always be respectful when reaching out to DNA matches, and follow the platform’s etiquette and consent guidelines.

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Choosing the Right DNA Test

Company	Best For
AncestryDNA	Largest match database, strong tree integration
23andMe	Health + ancestry, basic relative matching
MyHeritage	International matches, chromosome tools
FamilyTreeDNA	Advanced Y-DNA and mtDNA testing (my personal favorite)
Living DNA	Detailed UK/Irish regional breakdown

DNA is a powerful tool in genealogy, but it works best when paired with traditional records and good old-fashioned detective work. It can help you find missing branches in your family tree, confirm your research, and even uncover relatives you never knew existed.

Just remember—your DNA tells a story, but it’s only part of the picture. You bring the context. You bring the names, the stories, the connections.

And that’s what makes your family history come to life.

Breaking Through Brick Walls: Tips for Solving Genealogy Mysteries

If you’ve been researching your family tree for any length of time, chances are you’ve hit a brick wall—that maddening point where the trail runs cold and your ancestor seems to vanish into thin air.

Don’t worry. You’re not alone—and your research isn’t over. Brick walls are part of the journey, not the end of it.

Here are some tried-and-true strategies to help you chip away at those obstacles and keep your genealogy discoveries moving forward.

1. Be Flexible with Spellings and Names

Spelling wasn’t standardized until relatively recently, and even then, record keepers often wrote names phonetically. A person might appear as “Smyth” in one record and “Smith” in another—or “Elisabeth” in one census and “Lizzy” in the next.

Tips:

• Try wildcards in search engines (e.g., Sm?th or Sm*th).

• Search with variant spellings, nicknames, and abbreviations.

• Don’t forget transcription errors—scan original images when possible.

2. Zoom Out: Think in Terms of Migration Patterns

If your ancestor suddenly disappears from records, consider whether they moved elsewhere. Families often migrated together or followed economic opportunities like railroad work, mining booms, or westward expansion.

Strategies:

• Look at migration routes common in the time period (e.g., wagon roads, canals, rail lines).

• Search nearby counties and neighboring states.

• Study land records—did they sell land just before disappearing?

3. Dig Into Local Archives and Repositories

Not all records are online. In fact, many valuable documents are still in courthouses, historical societies, and local libraries.

What to look for:

• Probate records and wills

• Church records and cemetery lists

• Tax lists, land deeds, and voter rolls

• Local newspapers (often not digitized)

Contact local librarians or county clerks—they often know what’s available and where to find it.

4. Track the Whole Family (Not Just Your Direct Line)

Sometimes the key to breaking down a wall isn’t with your ancestor—it’s with their siblings, in-laws, or children. These collateral relatives can appear in records your direct ancestor doesn’t.

Ideas:

• Follow siblings and cousins through censuses and marriages.

• Look for multi-generational households—especially in census years.

• Pay attention to who appears as witnesses in wills or land transactions.

5. Use DNA to Shake Loose New Clues

If you’ve done traditional research and still can’t find the connection, DNA testing can offer new leads. Sites like AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, and 23andMe provide match lists that may help you identify unknown branches or confirm relationships.

Start by:

• Building out trees for close DNA matches

• Looking for surname overlaps or shared locations

• Using chromosome mapping (on GEDmatch or MyHeritage) to triangulate relationships

6. Read the Fine Print—Literally

Never rely solely on indexed search results. Always view the original documents when you can. Marginal notes, misspellings, annotations, and crossed-out names can offer valuable context that digital indexes miss.

Also, read entire pages—not just the line with your ancestor. Neighbors may turn out to be family. I often find the parents of the wife with no last name in the Census records!

7. Pause, Rethink, and Review

Sometimes the best next step is to step back. Re-read your notes. Create a timeline. Reorganize your research. What did you miss?

Questions to ask:

• Am I making assumptions based on another researcher’s tree?

• Could two people with the same name be getting confused?

• Have I searched for them under a spouse’s name or an alternate occupation?

Fresh eyes—and a fresh mind—can make all the difference.

Every genealogist hits a wall eventually. But with persistence, curiosity, and a willingness to try new strategies, even the toughest mysteries can start to crack.

Remember: the brick wall isn’t the end of the road. It’s an invitation to dig deeper.

Happy hunting—and may your next breakthrough be just around the corner.

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🧱 Brick Wall Toolkit: A Genealogist’s Checklist for Breaking Through Dead Ends

Use this worksheet to organize your thoughts, revisit sources, and uncover new research paths when you're stuck.

🔍 1. Review What You Know

• Write out a timeline of your ancestor’s life (birth, marriage, children, death).

• List every known location where they lived.

• Review your sources—what are facts, and what are assumptions?

• Have you documented siblings, children, spouses, and neighbors?

🗂 2. Explore Name Variations

• Try alternate spellings of first and last names.

• Look for nicknames or initials (e.g., “Lizzie” for “Elizabeth”).

• Search for phonetic variations (use wildcards in searches).

• Consider transcription errors in census or handwritten records.

🧭 3. Study Migration and Movement

• Have you checked neighboring counties or states?

• Investigate known migration routes (trails, rivers, railroads).

• Did the family relocate as a unit? Look at the whole household.

🏛 4. Go Local

• Contact historical societies or local libraries.

• Visit (or write to) county courthouses for land, tax, or probate records.

• Check church, cemetery, and funeral home records.

• Read local newspapers—births, marriages, obituaries, court notices.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 5. Expand the Family Net

• Research siblings, cousins, in-laws.

• Follow witnesses on documents—they may be family or close associates.

• Use FAN Club methodology (Friends, Associates, Neighbors).

🧬 6. Use DNA as a Tool

• Test with a major DNA company (Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23andMe).

• Review shared matches and build their trees.

• Upload raw DNA to GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA for broader analysis.

• Look for surname and location matches among your DNA cousins.

📜 7. Revisit Old Records with Fresh Eyes

• Re-read original record images (not just the index).

• Check full census pages to examine neighbors.

• Read margins and notes—especially on deeds and wills.

🧠 8. Pause and Reassess

• Step away for a day or week—return with fresh perspective.

• Ask someone else to review your work.

• Look for record types you haven’t explored (e.g., occupational, school, court).

✍️ 9. Record Your Hypotheses

Write down theories or leads you haven’t confirmed yet, and list what evidence would be needed to support or disprove them.

• Example: I believe John Smith moved to Missouri around 1850. I need land or census records to confirm.

• Hypothesis: ___________________________

• Evidence to confirm: ___________________

✅ Keep Track of What You've Tried

Sometimes knowing what didn’t work is just as important as what did. Record search terms, databases, and dates.

• Sites searched: _______________________

• Repositories contacted: _______________

• Alternate names used: ________________

• Notes/next steps: _____________________

🔁 Genealogy is about the long game. Don’t get discouraged—get strategic.

Crossing the Line: The Story of Josephus Sutton, a Teenager from Iowa Who Joined the Confederacy

Genealogy isn’t just about names and dates—it’s about stories. And sometimes those stories are unexpected, even uncomfortable. One of the most surprising turns in my family history came when I discovered that my ancestor, Josephus Sutton, a preacher’s son from Bonaparte, Iowa, crossed state lines at just 17 years old to join the Confederate Army.

It’s a story with more questions than answers. But it’s also a story worth telling.

A Preacher’s Son in a Divided Nation

Josephus was one of four children born to Rev. Milton Ellis Sutton and Mary Wynn, a devout Baptist family. Rev. Sutton was a well-known traveling minister who preached throughout the region, often taking the entire family along with him as he led services in churches and revival meetings.

Their lives revolved around faith, family, and community, and the Suttons were deeply embedded in the Baptist tradition. Conversations around the dinner table were likely filled with conviction—both moral and political. The family didn’t shy away from strong opinions.

One thing is clear: the Suttons didn’t own slaves, and there’s no evidence they ever supported slavery. But they also didn’t take kindly to being told what to do—by neighbors, by outsiders, or by the government. That fierce independence would prove to be a defining trait.

Crossing Into Missouri: A Teenager’s Fateful Choice

In January 1862, Josephus crossed the border into Missouri and enlisted in the 3rd Missouri Infantry, Company D of the Confederate Army. He was 17 years old—underage by military standards—but claimed to be 18 to enlist.

Missouri was a border state, with deep divisions and loyalties on both sides. Though Iowa was firmly in Union hands, southern Iowa and northern Missouri were culturally and politically complex, and Confederate sympathies could still be found in isolated communities.

Why did he do it?

There are no surviving letters or journals to explain. But several possibilities come into focus:

• He was angry at his father or wanted to escape a life under strict religious expectations.

• He may have been drawn by regional loyalties, peer influence, or the promise of adventure.

• He may have been swayed by the fears and propaganda of the time—claims that the Union was invading, and that emancipation would bring economic collapse.

• Or maybe it was just a teenager’s rebellion, magnified by war.

Whatever the reason, his decision was deliberate. There were no Confederate recruiting stations in Iowa. He had to cross state lines to enlist.

Into the War

Once enlisted, Josephus served as a Private with the 3rd Missouri Infantry, a regiment that saw heavy action in some of the Civil War’s bloodiest theaters.

He fought at:

• Iuka (September 1862)

• Corinth (October 1862)

• And in the Vicksburg Campaign, one of the most decisive series of battles in the war

On May 12, 1863, during the Battle of Port Gibson in Mississippi, Josephus and his unit were captured by Union soldiers and imprisoned at Port Gibson.

A month later, on June 12, 1863, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange. Before release, Confederate prisoners were often required to sign an oath promising not to take up arms against the Union again. While no record of his signature has been found, the fact that he never returned to the war suggests he agreed.

After that, Josephus disappears from the record. We know very little about his life after the war. No military pension, no public records, no gravestone bearing a Confederate marker. Just a ghost in the story.

A Story with No Simple Answers

It’s tempting to try to explain Josephus’s decision through modern eyes. But the truth is, the Civil War era was messy, especially along the borders. People joined the Confederate cause for many reasons—some ideological, some economic, some personal. And while slavery was absolutely at the heart of the conflict, not every soldier’s motivation fit neatly into that narrative.

Josephus didn’t fight for slavery. He didn’t fight for land or wealth. He may have fought because he felt cornered, angry, or simply wanted to carve out a different path than the one expected of him.

It’s impossible to know for sure. If I could sit down with him today, I would ask:

• Why did you leave Iowa to fight for the South?

• Were you scared? Were you proud? Were you confused?

• What did you feel when you were captured—relief, regret, or something else?

• What happened after the war ended? Why did you disappear?

Why This Story Matters

Genealogy brings us face-to-face with complicated truths. Josephus’s story is a reminder that the past isn’t always clean or comfortable. It’s full of people making impossible decisions in the middle of a divided and dangerous world.

I don’t celebrate his choice—but I also don’t ignore it. I want to understand it. I want to remember that behind every historical event, there are individuals—flawed, young, scared, idealistic, stubborn, human.

And maybe that’s what family history is all about.

The story of Josephus Sutton isn’t one I expected to find in my family tree. But I’m glad I did. Because it forces me to think deeper—not just about where I come from, but about how the past still echoes in our present.

To know where you are going, know where you came from

My reasons for diving into finding my genealogy has changed over the years. When I first discovered that a great-grandfather had researched one of our family lines, I was intrigued and curious. Later, I loved to share the family stories with my son, and eagerly sought out as much as I could. These days, I crave a connection to people who came before me, and am fascinated by the connections to history.

My mother occasionally told me family stories, but I have since found out that they were all wrong. Not one story was true. The actual stories are way more interesting. My grandmother had stories, but I was too young to remember them.

I yearn for a deeper connection to the past, to ancient traditions and values, and to know where I come from. Unlike those who have known since birth their identity and heritage, I felt like I was plucked out of space and put onto this planet. 

But now I know more.

It's a basic human need to want to know where you come from and who your people are - no matter what you find out. This is the same force that drives foundlings and adoptees to find their birth parents. It's a path to discovery about who you are and what is your heritage.

Another part of this journey is discovering traits of my ancestors that I find in myself. That's when you realize what part you play in the "nature vs nurture" argument. Occupations are revealed, validating interests, job choices, and hobbies. Health issues can often be realized upon discovering how some of your ancestors lived and met their end.

I have been able to pass on a legacy of family stories that are certainly more accurate, entertaining, and informative than those I received. This has become one of my life purposes, and is important for current and future generations.

I have been able to connect with extended family members that I never knew existed, albeit most of them virtually. My view on humankind has been expanded beyond my original nuclear family. I have been able to spiritually connect to my ancestors, imagining what advice they could give me and wondering what they would think of me and the world today.

I have also learned that we are all related, if we go back far enough. I have uncovered the basic values of living a worthwhile life: be honest, be compassionate, have integrity, don't kill, don't steal, don't gaslight, don't stop learning.

Castles in my Family - Hedingham Castle

Hedingham Castle, located in the charming village of Castle Hedingham in Essex, is considered the best-preserved Norman keep in England. The castle’s fortifications and outbuildings date back to around 1100, with the keep being built around 1140. Although most of the medieval structures have not survived, the keep remains mostly intact, missing only two turrets.

The castle stood on the ridge above the valley. The keep rose straight and hard out of the earth. Thick walls. Narrow slits. The stone pale and cold in the morning light.

It was Hedingham. Awarded to the de Veres by William the Conqueror. Aubrey de Vere (our ancestor) held the land by 1086. He planted vineyards and had sons. They cut the ditch through the ridge and set the walls in place. They shaped the hill to make it fit the keep. You can still see it.

Life inside was quiet but never still. The fire burned in the hall. Meat roasted on the spit. Men spoke in low voices. The lord sat at the head of the room and listened. His sword rested beside his chair. No one laughed unless he did first.

At night, the wind came through the cracks in the stone. The women kept their children warm with wool and stories. They prayed. They spun. They watched their sons grow up and ride away.

The boys played at swords until they learned to use them. They learned Latin, but they liked the horses more. They wanted to ride. They wanted to fight. They wanted to be men like their fathers.

Sometimes there was peace. Sometimes there was not. Either way, the castle stayed the same.

The walls were thick. The stones did not move. The keep watched the valley, and the valley watched it back. When the de Veres died, the keep stayed. When the wind blew, the stone did not care.

Now the keep is empty. The voices are gone. But the stone remembers. You can stand inside it and feel them if you are quiet.

They lived here once. They were your blood. They built this thing to last.

And it did.