This seminar focused on how to get started in researching and creating your family history.  Duane Roen provided many, many tips and suggestions as well as demonstrated techniques for uncovering your family history.  Duane, along with his wife, have been recording their family history since 1978 by writing more than 19,000 daily journal entries on their children and other family members.  Duane recalled that as a teen, he found his family’s Norwegian bible in his grandmother’s attic.  In looking at it, he found the list of names and information on family members.  From that point on, he was hooked at researching more and creating his family history.

Duane provided seminar participants a comprehensive document that lists what you should be doing, or at least start doing, to build your family history.  The document outlines were to start searching and how to build on the clues you find to get the information on your family.  The first thing, is to start with what you already know and document everything so others can help verify and to serve as a record for you.  He provided information on software that can be installed on your computer to online search sites, both free and subscription based.  He also mentioned how there are many, many local resources that you can physically go to when doing your research.

Duane also demonstrated various sites and online resources providing information how to use them and what information they can provide.  A copy of this document that is helpful to have while watching the replay of the seminar can be found here.