Traditional Genealogy
To back up your genetic match data, you must master traditional historical record searching. This track covers vital registers, censuses, and parish books used to construct a documented family history.
Many online family trees are unverified and filled with duplicate lineages and copied errors. Never add ancestors to your tree based on another user’s public pedigree alone. Every connection in your tree must be verified using primary historical records, such as birth, marriage, death registers, and parish books.
How to Build a Family Tree: 7 Tips
Paper TrailLearn the basic principles of tree building, how to interview relatives, organize records, and grow your pedigree one generation at a time.
Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy
Paper TrailA comprehensive introduction to archival research, documenting sources, and establishing a verified historical research log.
Traditional Research Methods
Paper TrailMaster the deep archives, including decennial censuses, civil vital registries (BMD), church registers, military files, and deeds.
Global Genealogy Resources
Paper TrailAccess our hand-curated directory of over 800 links to state archives and civil registries across 50 countries to search country-specific records.