Those who have been following these genealogy articles from the beginning have come to realize that they are not so much a series of articles as they are a free association of thoughts. It is usually what has taken my genealogical interest in the last month that makes up an article. However this month I've decided to go back to the beginning, perhaps where I should have started, and talk about some of the resources available on the Internet that will help you to learn about how to do genealogy. The following are a few web sites that will provide information about the nuts and bolts of genealogy. www.genealogy.com - this is one of the most comprehensive websites for providing educational tools to help people find out about the how-to of genealogy. Follow the link to their "Learn about Genealogy" section. Within this section take a look at their On Line University (you'll find this link in the buttons below the main heading tabs). The On Line University has a very comprehensive selection of detailed articles. www.ancestry.com - this site also offers a very good section with various how-to articles. Follow the link to their "learn" section. www.pbs.org/kbyu/ancestors/ - this is the website for the PBS Ancestors TV series. This site has quite a bit of information on-line to help people learn to do genealogy. It also includes a number of blank charts and forms that you can print out and use, a listing of useful tips and tricks, and a resource guide for all the U.S. states. www.ogs.on.ca/howto/first.html - these are links provided by the Ontario Genealogical Society including one to a good beginners how-to article. Unfortunately I couldn't find much in the line of specific "how-to" articles for Canadian genealogy. Several Canadian sites, including my own, have lots of links to Canadian genealogical resources, but not a lot in the way of "how-to" instructions about genealogy. www.bcgcertification.org - for the expert (or expert wanabees) this is the website of the Board of Certification of Genealogists. Have a look at their "On-line skillbuilding" section for several interesting how-to articles. www.ngsgenealogy.org - and finally, for those who wish to take a formal course, there is the on-line Introduction to Genealogy course offered by the National Genealogical Society. Although presumably U.S. oriented, it is reported to be a good learning tool. I'll end this article with my most important how-to tip; always document the source of your information. Most beginners (including myself) don't do this and it comes back to haunt you. I now source everything, so when I find a piece of conflicting information, or someone asks me about how I got a particular piece of information, I can easily dig up my original reference. But don't take my word on this, log onto the Internet and read some of the how-to articles for this, and many other good tips. This column and other resource material, including a link to my own genealogy pages, can be found on the Internet at "www.rideau-info.com/genealogy/". I can be contacted by email at kwatson@kos.net. |