Start Here

When this journey began, I began with me.  Best place to start.  Only you know the most about you.  I started with  a blank pedigree chart similar to the one here.  I then started filling in the blanks of those family members I am most familiar with.  Mom and Dad and their parents.  Simple enough.  Now the fun part.  I had to prove the man at the kitchen table was my Dad and the woman who taught me to sew was my Grandma Jake.  So now the fun began.  Mom and I went through dozens of shoe boxes and strong boxes looking for birth certificates, baptismal information and marriage licenses.  Everything you find needs a source and a citation.  Back in the 70s, computers were not a household appliances like today.  Each family member is numbered.  With today's software programs, it's done for you.
Now, what happens if you are looking at Grandma Zaky and she's telling you she was born in America, here in Buffalo, New York but she doesn't have her birth certificate?  I'll let you know how that went next time.