Introducing the AncesTea Crash Course

A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning Genealogy

It’s one thing to talk and read about how to do genealogy. It’s another thing to actually DO it. And getting started is the hardest part.

Maybe you’ve heard family stories that you’re not sure are true. Maybe you’ve inherited old photographs with unfamiliar faces. Maybe you’ve taken a DNA test and now have hundreds of matches staring back at you. Or maybe you’ve simply wondered who the people were whose lives led to yours.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that many beginner genealogists face the same problem: there is so much information available that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Alternatively, you begin, you spend hours researching, but you feel as if you haven’t made any progress.

That’s exactly why I’m creating this series.

☕ What Is the AncesTea Crash Course?

The AncesTea Crash Course is a 10-part series designed to walk you through the foundations of genealogy research one step at a time.

Think of it as a mini genealogy course. Instead of trying to teach everything at once, we’ll take it step by step and focus on the skills and concepts that will help you build a solid foundation and avoid many of the mistakes that trip up beginners.

Each post will include:

• Practical instruction

• Real examples from my own family research

• Small activities you can complete right away

• Tips and insights from professionals

• Action steps that help you build your family tree as you learn

By the end of the series, you’ll have the tools to approach your family history with confidence and begin thinking like a genealogist.

🌳 Who Is This Series For?

This series is for:

• People who have never researched their family history before

• Individuals who started an online tree but aren’t sure what to do next

• DNA test-takers who want to connect their results to real ancestors (but still follow a systematic, research-based approach)

• Family historians looking for a more structured approach

• Anyone curious about where they come from

☕ What Makes This Different?

If you’ve read my previous beginner genealogy posts, you may notice some overlap in concepts. The difference is that this series is designed as a guided learning experience. Rather than covering genealogy topics individually, each post builds on the one before it. You’ll be working through a research process step-by-step, applying new skills as you learn them.

🌳 Following a Real Family Mystery

Throughout the series, I’ll be using examples from my own family research to show you what genealogy looks like in practice. We’ll follow an actual research question from start to finish: examining records, evaluating evidence, dealing with conflicting information, and building a conclusion. My goal is to show not only what genealogists discover, but how they discover it.

☕ Coming Next…

In Part 1: Starting Your Ancestry Journey, we’ll begin building the foundation of your family tree by organizing what you already know, separating fact from assumption, and creating your first real genealogical research question.