Genealogy Supplies: What you’ll need
The supplies needed for genealogy are a bit different than found in other hobbies – and thankfully too! There is no real need for to put a lot of expense into it. It can be as simple as pencil and paper to begin with.
When you are just getting started, you will be collecting information from those closest to you – your immediate family. You may take notes; collect old photos or even complete interviews. If you decide to interview your relatives you should invest in either a traditional tape recorder or a newer digital recorder. Be sure to always carry a supply of pencils, pens, paperclips, batteries and sticky notes for labeling. A good notebook will serve you well during these interviews. A really nice thing to have is a portable scanner. This is something I wished I had when visiting a senior relative that had a huge mountain of memorabilia that he had collected over several decades. I regret missing the opportunity to scan at least some small fraction of all the great stuff he had.
You will soon realize that the information you collect is piling up quickly. It’s then that you need to develop a good filing system. Binders with dividers and tabs can be very useful, but do take up a lot of space. A small, portable accordion file is a great place to start because it is portable, but as you amass larger and larger amounts of information, a computer is a great asset and there are really good software programs that specialize in genealogy to choose from. These programs typically allow you to scan photographs, documents and sometimes videos into your program attached to the appropriate individual.
The Internet will become a tool that you use to really expand your research into to your family tree. There you will find all kinds of informational sites, but also free documents to help you in your search. Charts, different styles of family tree diagrams and record keeping logs are all examples of helpful tools that you can find on the Internet at many of the genealogy sites. These are extremely helpful in keeping your information straight.
By using the right tools, you can lesson any aggravation and heighten your enjoyment of your new found hobby!
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