New Genealogist Research Checklist

A practical workflow you can reuse for every ancestor

Name: ________________________________     Date: ________________

Minimum viable setup

• ☐ Pick a home base for your tree (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, or desktop software)
• ☐ Create a simple folder structure for files (Surnames / PersonName / Records)
• ☐ Use a consistent file naming pattern (YYYY-MM-DD_RecordType_Place_Person_Source)
• ☐ Start a research log (date, person, question, search, result, next step)
• ☐ Rule: no new fact without a source or an explicit note that it is unproven

Starter pack documents

• ☐ Build a 4-generation pedigree chart (even if incomplete)
• ☐ Create a family group sheet for each couple (parents + children)
• ☐ Gather home sources (photos, obits, funeral cards, Bible pages, letters)
• ☐ Interview a living relative and capture names, dates, places, and stories

For every person you add

• ☐ Create a timeline (birth to death) with locations
• ☐ For each key event, find at least one strong source
• ☐ Record name variants and spelling changes
• ☐ Standardize place names (town/county/state/country)
• ☐ Attach the record image when possible (not just an index)
• ☐ Add notes for conflicts, gaps, and open questions

Core records (the Big 6)

• ☐ Census records
• ☐ Vital records (birth, marriage, death)
• ☐ Obituaries and newspapers
• ☐ Cemetery and burial records
• ☐ Probate (wills and estate)
• ☐ Land and deeds

Search habits that prevent pain

• ☐ Start with a specific question (not just “learn about a person”)
• ☐ Search with location + date range (not just names)
• ☐ Try spelling variants and wildcard searches
• ☐ Check witnesses, neighbors, and associates (FAN club)
• ☐ Log negative searches (what you checked and did not find)

Evidence and quality check

• ☐ Prefer record images over indexes; cite what you used
• ☐ Note whether info is primary or secondary (who knew the facts?)
• ☐ Watch for same-name and same-place traps
• ☐ Resolve conflicts with more evidence (do not guess)
• ☐ Write a short proof note when you feel confident

DNA (optional)

• ☐ Test yourself or an older relative when possible
• ☐ Use matches to test a hypothesis (not just browse)
• ☐ Use shared matches to group lines and identify common ancestors
• ☐ Protect living privacy; treat ethnicity estimates as approximate

Monthly maintenance

• ☐ Audit one ancestor for sources and consistency
• ☐ Clean up dates/places and attach missing images
• ☐ Export a GEDCOM and back up your files
• ☐ Update your research plan and next actions

Brick wall protocol

• ☐ Rebuild the timeline from scratch
• ☐ Work the “boring” records (probate, deeds, tax, court, church)
• ☐ Research the FAN club in the same place and time
• ☐ Confirm you are not combining two different people
• ☐ Form a new hypothesis and test it with targeted records

Note: FAN club = Friends, Associates, Neighbors.