Dear Folks, I would like to suggest that beginning genealogists need to start a genealogical research notebook for their family lines. There are several reasons to do this activity. The first is that you will have a hard copy of your research in case a virus gets your machine. A second reason is that you will learn what various documents will give you as you research your family. By beginning with your own information and section of the notebook, you will have a more complete history for your own descendants. I would begin by purchasing a snap notebook or two. I use zippered snap notebooks of the same kind that many high school students carry to class. Then put in a divider for each member of your immediate family and those relatives that you are going to research. Put their names on the divider tabs. Next you will need some basic forms for each section. One of the most complete sets of forms is available for reproduction in Emily Anne Croom's THE UNPUZZLING YOUR PAST WORKBOOK (1994). Several other basic genealogy paperbacks will offer similar forms to use. I found that 40 copies of the following forms was a good plan: AHNENTAFEL (2 pages) Biographical Outline (Front and back/2 pages), Family Group Chart, map, Census Index, Military Index, and 5 generational family tree forms. I also copied the CENSUS forms for research purposes as many local libraries do not have basic forms although they may have Census documents. The AHNENTAFEL is a simple form on which you write the full names of the ancestors of each person. As you go back generation by generation the numbering and some of the information will change individual by individual. You can add information on this form for each person as you find it. The basic BIOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE is a record of what you have found out about each person. This includes birth dates and places, marriage information, events in the life of a person, etc. The Family Group Sheet includes information on the individual and his/her spouse, and their children. The map can be useful in documenting the movement of some families, particularly the ones, like one of my cousins, who moved 40 times "like a rolling stone." For example, you can plot where children were born and some died as the family migrated across the country, which may help you find information on them. The Census Index and Military Index are useful in documenting when and where the family lived in a place, as well as serving as a check list for the Census materials gathered for each person. The 5-Generational family tree offers a quick view of where you stand in collecting information about each individual, as well as their relationship to other persons in your notebook. You may also want to keep track of genealogical seminars which you attend as well as making a master list of the resources you have used (and where your found them), so that you don't duplicate information searches unless it is necessary to relocate some piece of information. In my research notebook, or example, for my grandparents, I have a copy of their wedding announcement (clipping from the newspaper), and wedding guest book, which I could take with me on a research trip, without taking the risk of losing the originals. I have photo reproductions of photographs of their gravestones, and of the cemetery plot record cards. I have a graph paper page showing where they lived based on a series of City Directories from Elgin, IL (1880-1923). Using this list, we were able to go to Elgin and photograph 4 of the 7 houses or apartments where they lived, and the church where they worshipped. Because I had put copies of the family genealogies from two town histories and from the FAY GENEALOGY book in the front of my notebook, I had this material on hand when I visited Neenah, WI. I was unexpectedly able to find the grave of my great great grandfather Amos Robinson which we did not know would be in that cemetery. It was very near to our family's FAY plot. These are just some suggestions as to what you can put into your notebook . I find that these research notebooks are often much more helpful than a laptop computer, because you can easily enter or change data as you find it. Just be sure to document on the back side of your copied sheets the bibliographic information and place where you found the information. Sincerely, Mary (FAY) Nelson 9