5 Steps to Research
Step 4 - Research & Documentation

Tools: check
Objectives & Questions: check
Family Records & Memories: check

Now the real research begins. With a foundation for your research and it's time to start expanding the search.

Like in Step 3, based upon the objectives and questions you have made, start looking for other sources. As a beginner, continue with the vital records such as census, birth, marriage and death.

Census records for areas and time periods may provide names, family relationships, immigrations allowing you to pinpoint where an ancestor may have been. Different census records give different information and accuracy may be less than desirable. Records are sketchy or detailed. If an ancestor is not listed where you think they should have been, it doesn't necessarily mean they weren't there. Still, good information is available.

Church, civil registration, newspapers and government records often contain information about births, deaths and marriages, as well as other information giving clues to vital information.

Everton's Bureau of Missing Ancestors and Internet Family File databases are a great source of event records with vital information as well as any other event you can think of. Experienced researchers should focus on the Bureau of Missing Ancestors, Internet Family File, all the Land Records and all the UK Records.

Documentation is more vital then ever as your search has expanded to a larger area. As you search a new record, keep your research log active with the name of the record searched, the location of the record and any other information that will help you go back to that record if you need to. Don't only record information you found. Also make a record if you didn't find any information so you don't go back and repeat your search if you don't need to.

After researching and documenting a source, review your research objectives and decide if this source has answered one of your questions or gives you another clue of where to look.