You may choose to do ANY -- or ALL -- of the 3 elements of your genealogy:
          RESEARCH and/or
          COMPILATION and/or
          PRESENTATION
yourself. Some major resources you will need are time and patience.

Also, set up folders where you can gather pictures, documents (or a copy of an original document), special stories, and any other information your relatives can provide. As you talk with relatives, don't forget to ask about a family Bible. Important information has been recorded in Bibles for many generations. Continue your research by searching cemeteries where burial was likely, going to the county courthouse and requesting information, and using the internet sites listed on our Genealogy Links page.

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Genealogy information is normally compiled in one of three ways:

1. A manual system with a page for each family.
   
2. A manual system by generation (See Sample)
   
3. Computer system using commercial software.

In our opinion commercial software provides excellent charts, graphs and lists for the compilation of information. However, as noted in the Presentation section, it is a very poor system for presentation for your relatives' use -- especially for those who do not use (or like to use) computers.

Therefore we believe in a computerized system for recording information and providing charts and graphs for the first 10 generations with a manual system, by generation, for presenting information to relatives and future generations.

When we refer to a "manual" system, we are referring to using word procressing, spreadsheet, and drafting software rather than specialized genealogy software.

Some of the commercial software available: Family Tree Maker or Genealogy.com -- both are part of MyFamily.com Roots Magic from FormalSoft,Inc. Family Tree Legends from Pearl Street Software Ancestral Quest from Incline Software Reunion from Leister Productions Personal Ancestor File , a part of Family Search from     The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Legacy Family Tree from Millennia Corp Genbox Family History from Thoughtful Creations Family Historian from Calico Pie Ltd The Master Genealogist from Wholly Genes Software Cumberland Family Tree Pro from Cumberland Family Tree Genealogy Software WinFamily.com from WinFamily of Bergen, Norway BACK to top of DO-IT-MYSELF

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Genealogy research is normally done with the goal of providing a means of presenting ancestral information for family and relatives and the recording of this information for future generations. It should be as easy to understand as possible and not just a collection of names and dates.

Presentations we prepare include the following:

1. A complete outline of the first five generations, including the following:

   Self	Parents	Grandparents
   Great-grandparents (See Sample)	Great-great-grandparents

   
   
2. The outline includes as many details as possible, providing:

   Obituaries	Pictures	Maps (locations)
   Charts (ancestors & descendants)	Copies of original documentation of below items:

   
   

   Birth records	Death records
   Marriage certificates	Wills
   Naturalization papers	Newspaper clippings, etc.
   Special awards

   
   
3. We also include as much detail as possible covering the following:

   Birth	Death
   Youth	Education (including sports & activities)
   Employment	Family (children)
   Where lived	Where met & married spouse
   Hobbies	Clubs & organizations
   Religion	Military
   Health	Retirement
   Why moved from/to addresses	Special Stories

   
   
4. Basic histories of the four major surnames of each grandparent (& their grandparents) going back as far as the research covers. (See Sample)
   
5. A summary of the remaining ancestors. This should be done in the sections of the four major surnames. (See Sample)
   
6. A listing and all available information on the direct ancestors that served in a major war:

   American Revolution	War of 1812
   Civil War	World War I
   World War II	Korean War
   Vietnam	Gulf Wars

7. Occupations besides farming and military (See Sample)
   
8. They came to America -- a listing and as much detail as possible providing information when your ancestors came to America, where they came from and where they settled. (See Sample)
   
9. Special stories of interest involving your ancestors. (See Sample)
   
10. Anything else, such as statistics, that will add to the interest of your presentation.

We recommend you present the information in five segments or books, plus on CD(s) for saving on your computer:

Segment 1 (Book 1)
   Yourself, parents, siblings, children and all other relatives such as aunts, uncles & cousins.

Segment 2 (Book 2)
   Your grandfather's (father's side) genealogy and all his ancestors

Segment 3 (Book 3)
   Your grandmother's (father's side) genealogy and all her ancestors

Segment 4 (Book 4)
   Your grandfather's (mother's side) genealogy and all his ancestors

Segment 5 (Book 5)
   Your grandmother's (mother's side) genealogy and all her ancestors

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