Your Family History Project starts with YOU! On a Pedigree Chart, enter YOUR
name, birth date and birth place, etc. as PERSON NUMBER ONE. Remember to enter
names as Vincent Joseph ROUSSEAU and dates as 10 May 1966 (military style).
Localities are entered as Burien, King, Washington. (Yes, counties ARE important and you
should get into the habit of including them in all locality information.)

A woman's BIRTH NAME (or "maiden name") is always used in genealogy charts.

A Helpful Hint — If you can PROVE a name, date or place, enter it on the chart IN
INK. If the information is hearsay, or if you are not sure, USE PENCIL. (Odds are, you'll
need to change the information as you research, not to mention needing to change your
definition of the word "prove"!)

YOUR FATHER is PERSON NUMBER TWO on the Pedigree Chart. Remember to
use PENCIL if you cannot prove any of the dates or places. YOUR MOTHER is PERSON
NUMBER THREE on the Pedigree Chart. Do not forget to list her BIRTH NAME and not
her married name.

Fill in as much information as you can for your two pair of grandparents and your
four pair of great-grandparents. Do not be upset if there are lots of empty lines on the
Chart! Filling in those empty spaces is going to be lots of fun!

First you will need to check sources that may be in your own home — Bible
records, old letters, photo albums, etc., can all be sources of information. Second, you will
want to talk to relatives who might have the information you need.

Still lots of empty lines on the chart? It is time to GET SERIOUS!!

Try online searches for information about a given individual. Believe it or not a
simple Google search might turn up results that you can use. RootsWeb, and Family
Search (Latter Day Saints) also have search engines that may find answers for you.

Once you have done ONLINE searches, it may be time to do "ON FOOT" searches
— visit a local Family History Center, local public library, private genealogical library or the
National Archives located on Sand Point Way in Seattle.

Think of the PEDIGREE CHART you have been working on as a RESEARCH
ROAD MAP. It is a work sheet that you will bring with you when you visit libraries,
archives and Family History Centers. The staff will be able to see immediately what
information you have ("where you have been") and what you need to find ("where you
want to go").

Above all, NEVER FORGET —YOU are descended from GREATNESS. After all,
you have eight Great Grandparents, don't you?