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Start with your own family. If you are married, make out a form for the husband and another for the wife. You should be able to do this from memory or from records in your home. Answer the blanks to be filled in as if you were doing it for someone entirely unacquainted with your family. If you are not absolutely sure of the full names and dates, don't rely on your memory. Spell all names correctly. If there are nicknames, enclose them in parentheses. In giving the names of children, list them in order of birth.
Decide on the style you will use in writing names and then follow this consistently. Most used are the Natural Order (John William Smith), or surnamed first in capitals (SMITH, John William). The latter is the standard style used by the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Write every name in full. On all genealogical records the names of females should be the maiden name only. You will avoid a lot of confusion if you adhere strictly to this rule. Regardless of how many times a woman may have been married, use her maiden name only. If her maiden name is unknown but her given name is known, write it, "Mrs. Bertha Cowles."
Decide on the style you will use in writing dates. Never use numbers to indicate months. The least confusing system is to indicate the day first, followed by the month abbreviated to three letters, then the year in full (3, Jan. 1969).
Use family charts and pedigree charts to record your information. Some are designed for typing, some for writing by hand. Type your record if possible, otherwise print by hand rather than using the cursive system. Be sure to record counties where called for as the county records will be extremely important in getting more information. If more room is needed to record your information, use the back of the sheet.
The pedigree chart shows only part of the family record. For recording members of the families, use family charts which indicate the head of a family, the wife and the children of the marriage.
Ask your Family First
1. Is some other family member searching for genealogy in your family?
2. What family member has more genealogical data than you have?
3. Does any branch of the family own an old family Bible containing genealogical
information?
4. Does any family member have in his possession copies of gravestone inscriptions,
newspaper clippings, memorial booklets, etc?
Where to Write for Genealogical Data:
Relatives, all kinds, everywhere.
Friends of the family.
Residents and former neighbors of the
old home town.
Postmaster of the old home town (to locate relatives).
People whose names were found in
newspapers or old directories.
City and county departments.
Immigration Bureaus.
Genealogical Libraries.
Newspapers (for classified advertisements and old obituary notices).
The LDS Church Historian's
Office - Salt Lake City, Utah.
Bureau of Vital Statistics in each state. See The Michigan Department of Community Health web site for instructions on how to request birth, death and marriage records from the State of Michigan.
