I have had several friends recently ask me about doing their genealogy. Usually the comment I hear is, “I have no idea where to start!” or “All my ancestors are gone” or “No one really remembers anything in our family.” And my favorite line of all time, especially when it comes to Irish records, “all those records have been destroyed so we’ll never know!”

Well, I’m here to tell you that even if no one remembers who your great-grandparents were, all is not lost. In fact, there are many records available to help you in your investigation.

So let’s take one of the questions I often hear: “I have no idea where to start!” Simple answer, start with yourself! Write your information first. Add your name, date of birth, place of birth and if you want baptism information. Remember, there will come a time when someone will one day want to hear from you! Add any information you’d like to add, such as your education, interests, and perhaps where you vacationed and your occupations.

Most of us know who our biological parents are and may have some record of their lives. If they are still alive and you don’t have much information to start with, ask them questions about their parents, dates of birth and death, and where they may have grown up. Obviously, if you’re adopted, the search may be more difficult, but depending on the state you were born in, there are also some options.

Once you’ve gathered some information, keep it organized by using a pedigree and family group chart, either by using the paper route that you can get copies of at many libraries or download online, or by using one of the available computer programs. I use Family Tree Maker, but there are others that might work for you too. You may find at this point, you may have already collected enough information to post two or three generations or even more than that.

Start looking at some of the free online sites, like familysearch.org or the National Archives (nara.gov). You can probably find valuable information from records like the US Census. Determining an ancestor’s location from a census listing will allow you to search county history books for that region, obituaries, and even vital records like birth certificates , marriage and death. Church records from that region would also be a valuable source. I wouldn’t start checking any records abroad until I’ve exhausted almost every possibility in the US first. There are a number of other online sites such as Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and Myheritage.com that can also be helpful, although you will need a subscription to these sites.

Many believe that the Irish records no longer exist and that their chances of finding anything are slim to none. That rumor is absolutely false. Not all records were destroyed in the Four Courts fire in Dublin in 1922. We are now discovering some copies of church records that were never sent to Four Courts for filing and some pre-1900 censuses still exist and now appear on line. There are also a number of Census Surrogates that are also available online and have also been archived outside the Four Courts building.

What might also be helpful to the new researcher is a workshop or course offered by many libraries and even some societies offer an online workshop. Some programs, such as the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, also offer certified and non-certified family historian programs and courses. If you’re ready to take that trip to Ireland, the Ulster Historical Foundation also hosts two family history conferences each year from its office in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The conference includes research at the Northern Ireland Public Records Office and a day trip to Dublin to research the National Archives of Ireland, the Register of Deeds and the National Library of Ireland.

Well, that’s a lot of information, but once you get started, many of these records will be very familiar. Just remember, the key to starting your family research starts with YOU!