Starting Out

My first step after getting the box of genealogy stuff from my parents was to enter all the information that was in there and compile it into one family tree. When I was 14 I had used a computer program called Family Tree Maker. I remember exactly what it looked like and it was pretty darn awesome, especially to me at that age. AOL had just been starting up and I was using it to find information about genealogy research, but I don't think I ever thought to use it to look up information on individuals on my tree. Go figure.

Now, I'm using both Family Tree Maker {the newer version, not the old one} and RootsMagic. I'm not sure which one I like better, so I'm using both of them at the moment. The RootsMagic program is the free trial, whereas Family Tree Maker, I have to admit, is not entire kosher. I would like to eventually get a full program for either one of them, but its currently not in the budget.

It took me about a week to manually enter names, dates, and places from outlines and letters that I had. And now I've got a starting point. Its time to prove and correct information that I've been given, and hopefully fill in a lot of the blanks.

Census records seem to be the easiest to access from the internet, and some are even available for free at the moment. Footnote.com has a limited amount of US Census records to view for free for the month of April. It is very limited, but I've been able to get quite a few of the ones I needed. Family Search.org has also been helpful for free access to certain census records and other information. Ancestry.com would be a wealth of information, but I just don't have $150+ to spend for a year subscription. That's just a ridiculous amount of money at this moment.

But what I'm asking for right now is if ANYONE in the family has any kind of information - articles, pictures, obituaries, family trees, books, journals, or even if you happen to know any information off the top of your head, please send it my way. The more information I have the better. :)