Module 1 — Start With Yourself

Begin your research by documenting what you already know. Learn the five key questions every genealogist asks about every person.

Beginner

Part of the Getting Started in Genealogy free beginner course. ⬇ Download this module as PDF

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, you will:

Understand why genealogy starts with you, not with the oldest ancestor
Write down the basic facts about yourself and your immediate family
Learn the five key questions genealogists ask about every person
Begin building your family information using a simple format

Why Start With Yourself?

It’s tempting to jump straight to the oldest person in your family tree. But professional genealogists always start with what they know and work backward. Why?

Accuracy: Each generation you document becomes the foundation for the next. If you skip a generation, you risk connecting to the wrong family.
Connections: The details you write down about yourself and your parents will lead you to the records that reveal the next generation.
Confidence: Starting with familiar facts builds your skills before you tackle unfamiliar records.

The golden rule of genealogy: Work from the known to the unknown. Never skip generations.

The Five Beginner Research Questions

For every person in your family tree, try to answer these five questions:

What is the person’s full name?
When and where were they born?
When and where did they marry?
Did they move? If so, when and why?
When and where did they die?

You won’t always have all the answers — and that’s perfectly fine. Write down what you know. Leave blanks for what you don’t. The blanks become your research goals.

A Note on Puerto Rican Names

Puerto Rican naming traditions follow Spanish customs. Understanding them helps you avoid confusion:

Two surnames: A person traditionally carries two last names — the father’s first surname followed by the mother’s first surname. For example: Juan Vargas Rivera (father’s surname: Vargas, mother’s surname: Rivera).
Married women: A woman may add her husband’s surname after “de.” For example: María Rivera de Vargas.
Common first names: Many family members may share the same first name (José, María, Juan, Carmen). Middle names and surnames are essential for telling people apart.
Nicknames: Family members may only know a person by a nickname. Write down both the nickname and the legal name if you know it.

Tip: When you write down a name, always include both surnames if you know them. This is the key to finding the right person in Puerto Rican records.

Download the Worksheet

⬇ Download this module as PDF — includes fill-in worksheets for yourself, your parents, and your grandparents.

Reflection Questions

Before moving to Module 2, think about:

Which grandparent do you know the least about? That person might be a good first research target.
Do you know which town (pueblo) in Puerto Rico your family is from? Even a partial answer helps narrow your search.
Who in your family is most likely to know more? That’s the person to interview next.

What’s Next

In Module 2 — Talk to Living Relatives, you’ll learn how to interview family members to fill in the blanks you just identified. The people who lived the history are your richest sources of information.

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