What's great about research is finding out things about your family that you didn't know.  That's me a few years ago with my cousin Mike and my Uncle Tommy...police officer Uncle Tommy who turned out to be a juvenile delinquint as a kid! 

* Get started by interviewing your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles — all of your oldest relatives. With their help, you can start to put together what is known about your family tree. Important details to ask about? Names (including maiden names of female relatives), dates of birth and death, marriage, and military service.

* Collect copies of any records that your family has: birth certificates, marriage licenses, baptismal certificates, death certificates. You can use these to help confirm the accuracy of the family stories you’ve collected.

* If you live in the area where your parents or grandparents lived, check out what records are available from city agencies, courthouses, and local libraries. You can often find marriage, birth and death records if you don’t have them, as well as old wills and property records.

Get more tips on how to research the family here.