1. First Things First! Gather What You Already Know Before searching records, start with your own family. Gather as much information as you can about: - Full names, including maiden names and nicknames - Birth dates - Birthplaces - Marriage dates and locations - Death dates and locations - Parents’ names - Grandparents’ names - Great-grandparents’ names - Places where family members lived - Family stories, photographs, letters, obituaries, Bibles, certificates, and other records Go back as far as you can with the information already available to you.