ROOTS-L Resources: Info and Tips for Beginning Genealogy

faq.starting: An overview of the records you'll want to access as you begin. Later on, too.
genealog.fhsearch: Searching Your Family Tree, by Richard Pence. An excellent article on how to do genealogy, with sections on getting started, interview pointers, family traditions (should you believe them or not?), how to keep records, places to do research such as libraries and the National Archives, and the main types of records that are used, such as census records, military records, vital records, passenger records, land records, etc.
faq.scams: It just came in the mail, your unique chance to buy a copy of "[Your surname] since the Civil War" or "[Your surname] across America". Is it a scam? Might be. Some of the more common ones are discussed here, so you can decide before you buy. (Even if it is a scam, it's possible you may still want the book.)
genealog.gensrch1: A guide or checklist of resources for doing genealogy reseach at home, at a Family History Center, and elsewhere.
genealog.grblist: A list of genealogy reference books, written in 1985. While many good genealogy books have subsequently been written, many of the books listed here remain unsurpassed.
genealog.intrview: A questionnaire to help gather family history information from yourself and other family members. (Interview yourself? Sure, why not?) See also Joanne Todd Rabun's Oral History Questions.
genealog.oralhist: What is an oral history? What are the advantages of collecting an oral history as opposed to relying on, say, letter writing? How does one best go about creating one?
genealog.rnatarch: Besides Family History Centers, an excellent place to do genealogical research in the USA is at the regional branches of the National Archives. This file gives their locations, phone numbers, and hours as of 1991. Some of the information (for instance, that discussing the New York branch) is no longer valid.
faq.microflm: A lot of your research time will be spent reading microfilm. Why is it so hard to read? Here are some suggestions to make it easier to read.
genealog.vitalrec: As of December 1991, where to write for U.S. vitals records and how to get them. Vital records are birth, marriage, and death records, and often contain information vital to genealogy. For more detailed information on obtaining vital records, don't miss our page for regional resources with separate files for each state and many nations on where to write for vital records.
genealog.headston: Standards for transcribing cemetery headstones: a useful inventory of data that you might be able to collect next time you visit your local cemetery with pad and pencil in hand. See also the home page of the Association for Gravestone Studies.