Summarize:

Not all family histories have to be massive recordings of multiple generations. You could just create a story of your immediate family -- your parents and siblings or your spouse and children. Get a rough idea of how far back in history you intend to search. This will help you decide what kinds of resources you need to explore. In addition to deciding how many ancestors you want to include, you should also consider if there is a particular geographical location you want to stick to. If your ancestors immigrated, do you want to conduct research about their lives in another country or do you want to keep it centered in one specific location? Similar to deciding on your scope, a clear research question will help guide your research. Is there a particular ancestral figure you want to focus on? For instance, do you want to know why one branch of your family moved to another region of the country? Do you want to know the source of an old feud with another family? Asking something specific will help you narrow your scope and then branch out into other information. Decide what you already know. How much information do your already have on your family? What gaps in knowledge exist? How do you intend to fill them? In the digital age, resources for finding information on your family can be easily accessed on the internet. Here are some types of records that can help you build a family history: Land deeds and records (often available about the National Archives' web site for the U.S. as well as the records division of your local county courthouse) Census information (available at the U.S. Census Bureau's web site) Military records (National Archives) Ship passenger arrival records and land border entries (National Archives and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation Inc. web sites) Engagement/wedding announcements, birth announcements and obituaries (often in local newspapers or church bulletins) School yearbooks or old transcripts (usually available from the person's alma mater) Legal documents such as wills and testaments (also available at their corresponding courthouse) Church registries (check with local churches if you know your family has a history there) Old letters, journals or diaries from ancestors (ask older relatives if they have these) Family recipes and/or cookbooks While records and written documents will give you important facts, visual sources will make your history more engaging to read. Look for old family photographs, maps of land, posters, postcards, and newspaper clippings to include. Nothing will make your history feel more alive than actual depictions of your ancestors. Look for other physical items such as childhood toys, clothing, jewelry, kitchenware, and mementos/keepsakes kept by your older family members to include in your family history. These items will give you a sense of your relatives' tastes and interests beyond a basic genealogical record. Genealogy libraries specialize in resources for finding your family history. They often include extensive microfilm collections where you can read a variety of helpful sources all in one space. Some of the most well-known genealogy libraries in the U.S. include the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Midwest Genealogy Center, the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, the New England Historic Genealogical Research Center Library, and the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in Houston. You may find that taking the time to visit one of these libraries will actually save you time in the long run because of the wealth of resources they provide all in one place. You should also check your local library system to see what kind of genealogical resources they provide. If you are limited in your ability to travel to libraries, then try to use on-line resources. Web sites such as Ancestry, AfriGeneas, Find A Grave, Archives.com, and Genealogy provides lots of great tips for starting your family history. They will often provide timelines and checklists so you can properly organize the information that you are gathering and save it in a digital space. On-line resources will also be convenient for sharing materials and records with other family members if you don't plan to send a physical copy of your family history to many readers. Sometimes the best historical sources are your current relatives. As you are gathering information, structure your interview around want you want to know. Do you want to hear about a particular time or period in this subject's life or do you want a general overview of their family history? Schedule the interview for a time and place that is convenient for your subject. This may be in their own home or in a more public place. Document the interview. You should plan to take notes during the discussion -- don't just assume that you will remember everything afterwards. If you don't want to take notes, try to record the interview with a recorder or video camera. Ask important questions. These should include fact-finding questions (like the names of relatives/dates of important events), but you can also ask substantial questions about family traditions or customs, family trips, and how your subject related to their local communities. Respect sensitive subjects. Over the course of a person's life, they may experience something very painful or have a moment they do not want to revisit. Respect your interviewee when they say they don't want to discuss something -- don't push them or make them feel uncomfortable. If you do not know your interview subject well, consider asking if a close friend or relative of theirs will accompany you during the interview. This might make your subject more comfortable while they are talking to you if you are a stranger.
Define the scope of your history. Define a research question. Locate and analyze important records. Seek out visual resources. Use a genealogy library. Embrace on-line resources. Conduct interviews.