Perhaps you want to learn more about your great-grandmother. Here are some steps that you can take to form a research plan:

1. Take some time and write down everything you can think of about the people you plan to research. Include as much detail as possible like spouse's and children's names, place of birth, and the approximate dates of birth, marriage, and death.

2. Write down what you hope to find out about the person you're researching. Once you start your family history research it's very easy to get sidetracked. With the excitement of uncovering new family facts, you may lose sight of why you decided to trace your family history in the first place. For this reason, writing down your aims in your basic plan is important. For example, your goal might be to learn as much as you can about one side of your family or learn more about an old story you've heard about your ancestors.

3. Conduct a search using a genealogically focused search engine to get an overview of what's available. For example, a site like Ancestry.com can help you find information about your great-grandmother. To start, just enter the name where the person you are searching lived to narrow the results. The data that you obtain will give you an indication of the range of resources available.

4. Prioritize the resources you can use. Your search on genealogically focused search engines may turn up several different types of resources, such as newsgroups, mailing lists, and one-name study sites. I'd recommend that you prioritize the resources that you plan to use first. An excellent starting point would be to visit a site like Ancestry.com that give you access to civil registration documents that will allow you to verify important dates and events.

5. Schedule time to use the various resources that you identify. Researching family history is a lifelong venture. There is no way to download all the documentation and information you need at one time. Because it requires a lot of time and effort to research your family history, it's best to schedule specific times to work on specific parts of your research plan. Genealogy is addictive; breaking it down into scheduled research time enables you to get the best out of your research plan without getting bogged down with information.

There are a wide variety of websites online that make it possible to build your family tree at no cost. Mundia.com is the one I recommend. As you advance with your research be sure to document your findings in your family tree and share the new information with your family members.

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