Analyze results

You've written down your memories, checked your home for family history sources, and organized the information you found. Now what?

Analyze the information you have. Think about what you'd like to learn next. It's best to narrow your focus to one family -- or better yet -- one individual. What do you know about this person? What would you like to learn? And how will you find this information? Be specific.

If grandpa's obituary, for example, says he died in Saginaw, Michigan, where he lived his entire life, do you want to try finding his death record? Or his tombstone? Or his marriage record? Do you want to locate him in census records? City directories?

Each time you learn more about your family, analyze the results and think about the next steps to take to learn more.