• Download this printable  Ancestral Chart and fill in with names, dates & places. Start with yourself (no. 1). If you don't know exact dates estimate them.
• Gather more information from family members and relatives.
• Download this printable  Family Group Record and fill in with information from your Ancestral Chart, and include additionial information with sources.
• Choose an Ancestral Line from your Ancestral Chart that you would like to know more about.
• Identify questions you want to answer about your ancestor.
• Select one or two questions as an objective. In general, find out about the ancestor's death before the marriage and the marriage before the birth.
• Verify what you know, and then use it to look for what you don't know.

Mathews Memorial Library's Online Catalog

• Search the Library's  Online Catalog for books, genealogies, documents, manuscripts, photographs, etc. before your visit.
• Make a list of the materials that are likely to contain the answers to your questions. Be sure to include title, call number and location. 

While at the Mathews Memorial Library

• Bring any information you have that relates to the people or questions you are researching.
• Bring your laptop, flash drive and/or hand-held scanner.
• Visit with our Historian/Genealogist, she can create a research strategy to help you find the information you want to learn.