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Start with what you know, and good genealogy software.
MyHeritage.com has free software, and a compatible online tree.
http://www.myheritage.com/
Cyndi's List is the best list of Genealogy resources:
http://www.cyndislist.com/
I must say that Ancestry.com is the best if you are willing to pay. I can't begin to imagine how much time and energy I have saved compared to the quantity and quality of documents I have found there.
Vital records and census records are your best starting points. Birth certificates will have parents names, sending you back one more generation. Death records have birth dates, which leads you back to the birth certificate. Marriage certificates have birth dates & parents' names. Census records will list spouses, children living with parents, and ages of all. Of course this is just the basics of what each of these documents contains! Always take note of your sources.
Some terms you may come across:
http://www.genealogy.com/Glossary/glossary.html
And some translations for common terms:
http://www.awesomegenealogy.com/freetranslations.shtml
Check here for my suggestions on organizing your information, ORGANIZATION is key:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ah3q3Jdi.FDWfaQ4lm4wzknAFQx.;_ylv=3?qid =20080201210650AANpYVw&show=7#profile-info-cFqSMmK3aa
Beware the One World Tree, and similar shared trees. Not all of the information is guaranteed to be verified, but they can give you clues as to where to look next when you're stuck.
It is very time intensive. I'm sure most people have spent years on their research.
Good luck and have fun!
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