Get Started | Mid-Continent Public Library

Getting Started

1. Gather

Start with what you know. Yourself!

The easiest way to begin building your family tree is start with yourself and then start moving back in time. Collect information on your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and other relatives, focusing on dates and places of life events such as birth, marriage, and death. Look for resources you have at home or are available through family like letters, diaries, family bibles, and photographs. View the Tips and Advice section located below for more information.

2. Organize

Commit to consistent recordkeeping habits.

To make this process easier, download or print MGC's six-generation chart, family unit chart, or any of our other Family History Forms. As you collect and record information, these forms will serve as your “road map” for the next steps in your research. Consider using a genealogical software program or an online family tree as they can help you organize information. Remember to record which records and sources you find. Good genealogical research can always be retraced or replicated; cite your sources to show how you learned what you learned.

3. Research

Start your research with a variety of record types. Evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the information provided by each record.

Vital Records

Most states did not keep records of births and deaths until 1910. Cemetery records can be an alternative source for a death date or year (and possibly a birth year). Marriage and divorce records are usually kept at the county-level and access may vary. Some are available online (Jackson County, MO, marriage records and Missouri death certificates). Others may be more difficult to track down. Many are indexed within our genealogy databases.

Census Records

The United States conducts a census every 10 years. These records can be used to trace your family decade by decade. Keep in mind that there is a privacy law that prevents access to federal census records from the last 72 years. As of 2022, we have access to censuses from 1790-1950. Many states also conducted their own censuses in the years between the federal census, so be sure to check for those records, too. At home, you can search the census with HeritageQuest Online with your MCPL library card. At MGC, you can search with Ancestry Library Edition and Findmypast.

Other Records to Look For

Immigration and Naturalization – passenger lists, citizenship, and border crossings
Military Records – service records, draft cards, pensions
Newspapers – obituaries, court proceedings, local news
Probate – wills, property, conservatorships
Land Records – deeds, homesteads, land grants

At the Midwest Genealogy Center, you can access databases, books, periodicals, microform, and maps that cover the United States as well as countries around the world.

Tips and Advice

Start small, focusing on just one side of your family – perhaps the side about which you have the most information. The success you have with this line can help you build your skills before tackling other, more challenging lines.

Talk to your living family members, especially those who can help you confirm the details of where, when, and how your ancestors lived. Ask both factual questions and open-ended questions that encourage storytelling. Take advantage of MGC’s Oral History Program to explore various ways to preserve your family stories.

Use family history forms to keep your work organized. Be consistent with how you record information for dates and locations. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference, but many genealogists accomplish this by recording information in the following formats:

Names: first, middle, last (sometimes capitalized), with nicknames included in quotation marks and using maiden names for married women – e.g. Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee BOUVIER is a way to record the maiden name of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Dates: day, month, year order – e.g. 4 Dec 1943
Locations: in order of smallest land jurisdiction to largest, including the country for locations outside the United States – e.g. Independence, Jackson County, Missouri; Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Cite your sources as you find them to keep track of what information you’ve found and where you found it. Nothing is more frustrating than finding a game-changing piece of evidence, forgetting to document which database, record collection, or book it came from, and later not being able to retrace your steps to find it again. Good, sound genealogical research can always be retraced or replicated.

Embrace the challenges. Expect to find your ancestors’ names spelled many different ways. Accept that even official documents can offer conflicting dates and places for an ancestor’s life events. Be open to the chance you might discover family secrets, surprises, and a debunked “family story” or two. When you hit a dead end or “brick wall,” consider taking a break and shifting your focus to a different challenge. Be flexible, not frustrated.

Continue to educate yourself about new research methods, resources, and skills. MGC offers a variety of classes multiple times a week for both in-person and online attendance for researchers of all experience levels. A selection of our beginner-friendly classes are available to view online at your convenience.

Visit the Midwest Genealogy Center to speak with one of our genealogy reference assistants, no appointment required, or use one of our research assistance services.

Topical Guides

Our guides cover a wide variety of genealogical and historical research topics including ethnic groups, record types, methodology, and other relevant information.