Choose The Kind Of Genealogy Help You Need.
Browse beginner-friendly genealogy guide categories for starting your family tree, understanding records, avoiding common mistakes, organizing clues, saving family stories, and finding useful research tools.
Pick A Topic And Follow The Clue.
Instead of scrolling through every article at once, choose the category that matches your current question. Each category page will grow automatically as new guides are added.
- Start With Beginner Tips
- Look Up Record Clues
- Avoid Common Tree Mistakes
- Find Tools And Research Help
Find The Guide Category That Matches Your Question.
Genealogy is easier when you focus on one problem at a time. Choose a topic below and go to that category to see the guides in that section.
How This Page Works
This page points you to guide categories. When new guides are added to a category, WordPress will handle the category archive automatically, so you will not have to rebuild this page every time.
Browse The Genealogy Guide Library.
Start with the topic that fits your current family history question. No need to read everything in order.
Beginner Genealogy Tips
Start your family tree, gather your first clues, learn what to save, and build better research habits from the beginning.
Browse Beginner Tips →Family Tree Help
Organize your tree, handle confusing branches, keep better notes, and work through shaky family history clues.
Browse Family Tree Help →Record Clues
Understand census records, age changes, name spellings, obituaries, cemetery pages, locations, and other record clues.
Browse Record Clues →Common Genealogy Mistakes
Avoid copying online trees too quickly, mixing up same-name relatives, trusting every hint, and building on weak clues.
Browse Common Mistakes →Family Stories
Save memories, label photos, ask better questions, collect family details, and turn research clues into stories.
Browse Family Stories →Research Tool Spotlights
Learn about helpful genealogy websites, research tools, archives, maps, newspapers, cemetery resources, and organization helpers.
Browse Tool Spotlights →Not Sure Which Category To Choose?
If you are brand new, start with Beginner Genealogy Tips. If your tree already feels messy, start with Family Tree Help. If you are staring at a confusing record, go to Record Clues.
The point is not to read everything at once. Pick the category that matches the question you have today.
Quick Pick
New to genealogy? Start with beginner tips. Cleaning up a tree? Choose family tree help. Confused by a record? Pick record clues. Suspicious of a hint? Go straight to common mistakes.
Pick One Question And Follow That Clue.
A guide is most useful when it helps you take one clear next step.
Choose A Category
Pick the section that matches your current problem: starting out, reading records, organizing clues, or checking mistakes.
Read One Guide
Do not turn it into homework mountain. Read one guide and choose one thing to try in your own research.
Save Your Notes
Write down what you searched, what you found, where you found it, and what question comes next.
Good genealogy is not about reading everything. It is about asking a better question, checking the records, and saving the clues before they disappear into the fog.
Need More Than A Guide?
Use the Clue Sheet Library and Research Toolbox when you are ready to organize what you found or search somewhere new.
Clue Sheet Library
Use printable worksheets, trackers, ancestor profile sheets, and clue logs to keep your research organized.
Visit The Clue Sheet Library →Research Toolbox
Find helpful genealogy websites, record collections, cemetery tools, newspaper resources, maps, and organization helpers.
Open The Research Toolbox →A More Organized Way To Keep Learning.
The Detective’s Notebook will include printable clue sheets, research roadmaps, simple lessons, templates, and member resources for beginner-friendly family history research.
Ready To Choose Your Next Guide?
Pick one category, read one guide, save your notes, and let that clue lead you to the next step.