Family group record: roadmap for researchers

A well-documented family group record is the best tool you can use to get ideas about where to search for more information on a family. It bristles with clues hinting about names, dates, places, events, sources, and relationships that may need to be discovered, verified, or better documented.

= Definition =

A family group record is created by a genealogist to show at least the names of the husband, wife, and children of a family. Most family group records also show known birth, marriage, and death information, additional spouses (if any) of the parents, and children’s spouses. Good family group records also cite sources of the information—usually in footnotes. The best family group records also show all the other events in the lives of each member of the family. For example, they may list censuses, joining or leaving churches, christenings, confirmations, burials, acquiring or sale of land, migrations, citizenship changes, jury duty, law suits, will probated, paid taxes, obituaries, being mentioned in newspaper articles, new job, draft registration, military service, serving as a witness, bondsman, or godparent, working on the county road crew, jail, and warnings out.

In the past family group records were compiled by hand or with typewriters, but computers now make this task easier.

= How to prepare a family group record for use as a research roadmap =

Create a family group record you can use to guide your research for more information about a family. Evaluate the family group record and decide which event would be easiest to document. Go look for the documentation, and when you find it update the family group record with the any new information. Be sure to cite the source of that information as you update it.

Step 1. Start by compiling what your family already knows about a family.
When you begin research on a new family start by compiling a family group record showing everything you know about them. It is important to list EVERY known event in each person’s life. The more events you can list, the better. It is also important to cite the sources of your information—even if you had to guess the information tell us why you guessed the way you did.

Software to help compile family group records.
To help you create family group records you can download a free computer program (Personal Ancestral File [PAF]) from the Internet starting at the FamilySearch home page. For a discussion of similar commercial software see Not Sure Which Genealogy Management Software to Use?

Gather home sources.
Look for the family Bible, certificates, letters, photographs, family histories, previously compiled family group records, or any other old papers in attic trunks at your home, or at relatives’ homes.

Talk to older relatives. Ask older relatives what they remember about the family. Write up the information learned in these interviews, and cite your written interview notes as the source for the genealogy you add to the family  group record as a result. Also, ask your relatives if they have any papers that would help. If so, cite those papers as well.

Keep the family group record updated.
Start research on a family by creating a family group record with lots of footnotes, and keep it up-to-date as your research progresses. Document as you go. Add new genealogical information and footnotes to the family group record each time you find a new source for the family. Do NOT continue or start research for another source until your family group record has been updated.

Add the details of what you learn to the family group record. Show the dates, places, and source of the information. There should be at least one source-footnote for every event on the family group record. In the source-footnote comment field add a brief preliminary evaluation of each source.

More than one footnote per event. Your family group record should show EVERY source you have found for an event. There may be more than one source that has information about the same event—cite each. If you find discrepancies between the sources, use the footnote comment field to explain what you think accounts for the differences.

More than one event per source. Some sources give information about several events. For example, many death certificates list information about the birth of the deceased. Add a separate footnote to the family group record for each event mentioned on a source. For example, cite the death certificate as the source for both birth and death information. The Personal Ancestral File’s Memorize Citation button makes it easy to copy a citation from one event to another.

Add custom events to the family group record. Family group records can and should list more than birth, marriage, and death events only. The more events and sources that are listed, the more clues you have to help guide your research to further records.

Step 2. Add compiled sources and censuses to the family group record.
Beyond home sources there are still some low-hanging-fruit type of sources to gather and to add to the family group record.

Online databases.
Search for members of the family in the Internet databases described in Major Databases for Beginning United States Research.

Family History Library Catalog Surname Search.
Use this source to look for family histories.

U.S. federal censuses.
Census records every ten years from 1790 to 1930 are available to show information about families. It is important to add EVERY census you can find to the family group record for each member of the family to show where they lived throughout their lives. For a list of links to online census indexes see Genealogy Links.

= How to read a family group record as a research roadmap. =

With home sources, compiled sources, and censuses showing on the family group record you are finally ready to use it in earnest as a roadmap to research. A family group record is a research roadmap because it lists a variety of birth, marriage, death, and other events in various conditions of documentation. One of the main factors in selecting the easiest to research event on a family group record is the completeness of dates, places, and sources already available.

Some family group record events have good source citations, but most do not. Some events will have exact dates, while other dates are vague or missing. Places may be complete, partial, or missing. Look over the family group and identify the events with a combination of the best source citations, most exact dates, and most complete places—these will be the easiest to research.

At the same time notice those events with missing sources, missing or incomplete dates, and missing or vague place information—those (or the events that are not even mentioned) will usually be the more difficult to research.

The family group record roadmap helps you identify easiest to research events and gives you the clues to go after sources for those events. For additional factors to consider when selecting what to research see Guessing the Easiest to Research Person and Event.

Step 3. Look on the family group record for events that need better documentation.
Ponder what you see on the family group record looking for events that have vague (or no) source-footnotes. Go after better documentation for those events. Guess which source would be the easiest to find source first. Work from the easiest to hardest to find sources. Update the family group record with whatever names, dates, places, and sources you find.

Step 4. Look on the family group record for events that need a more exact date.
Next, ponder what you see on the family group record looking for events that have vague (or no) dates. Go after better documentation for exact event dates. Guess which date would be the easiest to find date first. Work from the easiest to hardest to find date. Update the family group record with whatever you find.

Step 5. Look on the family group record for events that need a more exact place.
Next, ponder what you see on the family group record looking for events that have vague (or no) places. Go after better documentation for exact event places. Guess which place would be the easiest to find place first. Work from the easiest to hardest to find place. Update the family group record with whatever you find.

Step 6. Figure out which events on the family group record are missing.
Ponder the family group record looking for events which you can guess have been overlooked. Guess when and where you think such events most likely happened. Go after documentation for missing events. Work from the easiest to hardest to find missing events. Update the family group record with whatever you find.

Step 7. Share the well-documented family group record.
Good researchers share their work with others in order to vet their work, to make contact with distant relatives who could collaborate on research, and to set a good example. Be sure to add your contact information to whatever you share. Places you could share your well-documented family group record include:


 * online databases like Pedigree Resource File, World Family Tree, and WorldConnect
 * county and state historical and genealogical libraries near places where the family lived
 * create a genealogy web page Internet site showing your family group records

If you use your research to write an article or family history you could also donate copies to:


 * genealogical societies near places where the family lived
 * Family History Library and other large genealogical libraries

= Related Content =

Guessing the Easiest to Research Person and Event How to Guess Where to Start Adding a Custom Event Document as You Go Cite Your Sources Sharing: a good way to FIND ancestors