Free Genealogy Research Kit
Genealogy
Research Kit
Follow the Clues.
Build the Story.
A practical collection of free genealogy tools, templates and checklists to help you plan your research, analyze evidence, document your discoveries and verify your conclusions.
Your Research Has a Story to Tell
Genealogy research rarely follows a straight line. One DNA match can lead to a family tree, a family tree can lead to a record, and one record can completely change your hypothesis. The Research Kit is designed to help you keep those pieces connected as the investigation develops.
Three Types of Resources. One Research Workflow.
Use the resources individually when you need them, or combine them as part of a larger research investigation.
Research Checklists
Break complicated research questions into practical steps and make sure important evidence and follow-up tasks do not get lost.
Explore Checklists →Research Tools
Analyze DNA matches, relationships, family trees and other evidence with practical browser-based genealogy tools.
Explore Tools →Research Templates
Record DNA matches, chromosome segments, research findings, hypotheses and other information in structured spreadsheets.
Explore Templates →Plan → Analyze → Document → Verify
The Kit is organized around a simple principle: good research becomes much easier when you know what you are trying to answer, keep track of your evidence and verify your conclusions.
Define the Question
Decide what you are trying to discover and what evidence could help answer the question.
→Examine the Evidence
Analyze matches, relationships, clusters, segments, records and family-tree evidence.
→Record What You Find
Keep your evidence, hypotheses, searches, notes and discoveries organized as the investigation develops.
→Build the Case
Compare DNA evidence with records and independent sources before treating a conclusion as established.
Start With the Question. Follow the Evidence.
The Kit can support many different types of genealogy research — from a single unknown DNA match to a long-standing family-history brick wall.
Who Is This DNA Match?
Investigate possible relationships using shared DNA, family trees, match clusters and other evidence.
Where Does This Match Group Belong?
Use clustering and genealogical research to investigate which ancestral branch may connect a group of matches.
Do These Matches Share an Ancestor?
Document overlapping segments and supporting evidence when evaluating a possible triangulated group.
What Does the Paper Trail Reveal?
Trace people through historical records and compare documentary evidence with your existing family tree.
Where Does This Family Branch Fit?
Organize relatives, sources and research findings while investigating an uncertain part of your family tree.
Can I Break Through a Brick Wall?
Turn a difficult genealogy problem into a series of research questions, evidence checks and documented hypotheses.
Don't Just Collect Clues. Connect Them.
A large family tree or a long list of DNA matches does not automatically produce an answer. The goal is to connect pieces of evidence into a research argument that can be examined and tested.
- Start with a specific research question.
- Separate observations from hypotheses.
- Record useful evidence — including evidence that does not fit.
- Compare DNA evidence with documentary and independent evidence.
- Revisit the hypothesis when new evidence appears.
DNA Is Evidence — Not the Entire Answer
The resources in this Kit are designed to help you organize and evaluate evidence. A spreadsheet, calculator, DNA match or family tree does not by itself prove a genealogical conclusion. Strong research combines DNA evidence with documented relationships, historical records, segment data where available and independent evidence.
A Simple Place to Start
You do not need to use everything at once. Start with the part that matches the problem in front of you.
Choose Your Question
What are you actually trying to discover? Define the problem before collecting more information.
Choose Your Resource
Pick a checklist, tool or template that helps with the next step in your investigation.
Record & Review
Document what you found, test your hypothesis and decide what evidence you still need.
Choose Your Next Research Tool
Browse the individual resource collections when you know exactly what you need — or return to the Kit and follow the complete workflow.
About the Research Kit
What is the Free Genealogy Research Kit?
The Kit is a collection of free genealogy resources designed around a practical research workflow. It includes tools, templates and checklists that can help with DNA research, family-tree research and research organization.
Do I need to use every resource?
No. The resources are designed to be useful independently. The Kit simply gives you a framework for choosing the right resource for the research problem you are working on.
Is the Kit only for DNA genealogy?
No. DNA genealogy is an important part of the Kit, but the workflow also supports traditional genealogy research, historical records, family trees and research documentation.
Can these tools prove a family relationship?
No tool or template should be treated as proof by itself. The purpose of the Kit is to help you organize, analyze and document evidence. Conclusions should be evaluated using appropriate genealogical and documentary evidence.
Where should I start if I am new to genealogy?
Start with a specific research question and use the resources that address that question. If you are new to DNA genealogy, the DNA Academy provides the educational foundation, while the Research Kit provides practical resources for doing the work.
Every Family Mystery Has a First Clue.
Pick a question, open your research notebook and start following the evidence. The Free Genealogy Research Kit is here to help you keep the investigation organized from the first clue to the final documented conclusion.