Finding Your First Genealogy Records

ByGathered Heritage

When you’re just getting started with genealogy, it’s easy to feel like there are thousands of possible places to look for information—and honestly, there are! But you don’t have to find everything all at once. A good first step is to focus on a handful of core record types that give you a solid foundation for your family tree.

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Finding Genealogy Records

Finding these genealogy records can help you confirm names, dates, and places for the relatives you already know—and open the door to discovering new generations.

1. Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates

Vital records (birth, marriage, and death) are some of the most important building blocks for your family tree. They often include:

  • Full names (including maiden names)
  • Exact dates and places
  • Parents’ names (sometimes with mother’s maiden name)
  • Occupations and residences at the time of the event

Where to find them:

Example: I walk through a step-by-step birth record search in this blog post.

2. Census Records

Census records give you a snapshot of your ancestor’s life at a specific time. Depending on the year, you might see:

  • Names of household members and their ages
  • Occupations
  • Immigration and naturalization details
  • Birthplaces of individuals and their parents

Where to find them:

I share an example of tracing an ancestor through multiple census decades in this post.

3. Church Records

If vital records aren’t available for your ancestor’s time period, church records can be a goldmine. Baptisms, marriages, and burials were often recorded by local parishes long before government recordkeeping was standardized.

Where to find them:

4. Cemetery Records

Cemeteries often keep burial registers that list more than what’s visible on a headstone. These might include:

  • Exact date of burial
  • Birth and death dates
  • Location of the grave
  • Next of kin

Where to find them:

  • Local cemetery offices or sexton’s records
  • Find a Grave (free)
  • BillionGraves (free with account)
  • County historical societies

See my guide to using cemetery records in this post.

5. Online Obituaries

Modern and digitized obituaries are an excellent starting point—especially for building out recent generations. They often include:

  • Full name (including maiden name)
  • Date and place of birth and death
  • Surviving and predeceased relatives
  • Funeral service details and cemetery location

Where to find them:

I show how I use obituary details to track down earlier generations in this post.

6. Archived Newspapers

One of my favorite sources is archived newspapers. They can provide birth, marriage, and death notices; detailed obituaries; social news; and even small-town gossip that paints a picture of daily life.

Each state is different, but in the state of Iowa almost all newspapers have been digitized, and you can usually find a newspaper for an Iowa community by searching:

"city state archived newspaper advantage-preservation"

Where to find them:

United States

German Newspapers

Tips for Success

  • Start with what you know. Use details from family interviews to guide your first searches.
  • Be flexible with spellings. Names may appear differently from one record to another.
  • Record your sources. Keep track of where you found each record so you can return to it later.
  • Verify details. Don’t assume one record is enough to confirm an ancestor—look for multiple sources.

Next Step: Once you’ve located your first set of records, you can start filling in missing details, connecting generations, and uncovering stories that bring your ancestors to life.

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