The Internet has many Web sites that will assist researchers with tips for getting started with family history research, as well as guides for experienced genealogists. Some of the most recognizable of these are at RootsWeb.com, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch.org. In this article, we’ll explore these sites and explain exactly what information you can find to help you in your personal research.

RootsWeb and Ancestry Helps
Both RootsWeb and Ancestry have beginner’s lessons to help walk you through the basics of research. Ancestry’s helpful tips, located under "Getting Started," give brief overviews of genealogy. RootsWeb’s lessons are more comprehensive. They tell you how to conduct your research step by step, and they also inform you about the major record source types available to genealogists.

Also housed at RootsWeb is Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. This list categorizes more than 75,000 genealogy Internet sites, so you’ll be able to quickly search for the type of site that best suits your needs. Many of these sites contain research tips and suggestions.

Ancestry.com has several other areas that are particularly helpful for beginners. First, you can find information about record types and search for records by locality. To find these searches, log onto the Ancestry home page and click the “Search” tab at the top of the page. You will be given two record category choices: Search by Locality and Search by Record Type.

From the Search by Record Type page, you’ll be given various record types to choose from, as well as descriptions of what these records contain. These include such types as census records, military records, directories, and so forth. Each category represents a major area of genealogical research, and each will provide links to applicable Ancestry databases that you can search; major databases are highlighted with stars on the page, and all of Ancestry's databases that fit the selected type can be viewed in the drop-down menu.

Under Search by Locality, you can choose a state of research interest. After selecting a state or country, you will see a panel on the left side of the page listing states alphabetically. Choose your area of interest and click on Factsheet. Here you will find information about vital records and vital record indexes, census records, land records, military records, and so forth. Useful bibliographies are also included. At the conclusion of each state or country page is a listing of addresses of archives, libraries, and historical societies. Internet links are also given. With all of this information, these Ancestry “factsheets” are very useful for genealogical research.

Also, Ancestry has some of its major genealogy guidebooks available online. For example, Ancestry’s The Source, which is one of the most comprehensive genealogy books on the market, is fully searchable on the site. You can get a list of Ancestry’s searchable publications under the Search by Record Type section for “Reference.”

Help at FamilySearch
The Family and Church History Department of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City has recently expanded and improved its FamilySearch Web site. One of the most important additions is the new Research Guidance section that will assist you in deciding what records to use to search for your ancestors. It identifies records, recommends the order in which they might be searched, provides instructions for locating information, and informs you where the records are located. Beginning researchers should first click on “How Do I Begin?” where they are shown the five-step research process.

After entering the Research Guidance section, you are first asked to select a locality, such as a state or country. (Although not all countries are included, this research aid is continuing to expand.) After clicking on a locality of interest, the major records are divided by time periods: birth, marriage, and death. You are then shown a “Search Strategy” and list of sources, such as birth record, obituary, military records, census population schedule, and so forth, for that time period.

One of the most important features of Research Guidance is the links to sources in the Family History Library Catalog that show the library book, microfilm, and microfiche numbers. This will be helpful for those using local family history centers^TM and the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Research Helps is also a new category on the LDS site. It lists localities alphabetically and gives links to the many state and country research outlines published by the Family History Department. Here you can link to and print maps, forms (such as census worksheets), historical background, name variations, and other research aids. (However, Family History SourceGuide is no longer available on this Internet site.)

The Glossary is the third new addition to FamilySearch.org. Here you are able to locate definitions of words and terms you will find in your research. It also contains non-English words and their English translations. For example, “pacellist” is a Danish word for “holder of a small plot of land.”

Research Guidance, Research Helps, and Glossary on the FamilySearch Web site may be found three ways:

1. What’s New
2. Search for Ancestors (Custom Search)
3. Browse Categories (Research Support)

The Internet provides many research guides to help people find their ancestors and learn more about records. Try these guides for yourself to determine which are the most helpful for you.

Kip Sperry is an associate professor of family history at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.