Genealogy Records Checklist for You 2026 Family History Research

Research Plan Checklist – 2026 Update | How Genealogists Really Think If you’ve ever wondered “What am I missing?” or “Where do I look next?” when researching an ancestor, this video is for you. In this updated 2026 version of my Research Plan Checklist, I walk you through a gap-driven approach to genealogy research—one that reflects how genealogists actually think, rather than forcing records into rigid categories. Instead of organizing research strictly by record type or repository, this checklist helps you identify what part of an ancestor’s life is undocumented and what types of records might help fill those gaps. You’ll learn: How to use a checklist as a research planning tool, not a to-do list Why some records—especially church records and newspapers—appear in multiple sections How to think beyond civil records, particularly for earlier time periods How to spot missing census, military, land, church, or migration evidence How newer tools, including FamilySearch Full Text Search, can open doors to records you may have never searched before This checklist is designed to be used repeatedly, one ancestor at a time, and adapted to different time periods and locations. You are not expected to find every record listed—its purpose is to guide your thinking, spark new ideas, and help you move forward when research stalls. 👉 NOT a Member? Purchase the HANDOUT Here https://genealogytv.org/product/hando... SIMILAR VIDEOS 🔴 FamilySearch Full Text Search - Was LIVE https://youtube.com/live/GNNT5l6QBZk 🔴 OMG! FamilySearch FULL TEXT SEARCH – The Ultimate Strategy to Find Records    • OMG! FamilySearch FULL TEXT SEARCH – The U...   🔴 FamilySearch Hidden Records: Full Text Search: 2024    • FamilySearch Hidden Records: Full Text Sea...   ❤️ JOIN the GENEALOGY TV ACADEMY https://genealogytv.org/academy/ 📝📝📝📝 HANDOUT OPTIONS 📝 1) Genealogy TV Academy members have access to all lessons and handouts back to 2022. https://genealogytv.org/academy/ 📝 2) Become a CHANNEL MEMBER at the INFO ACCESS level $9.99 per month. This gets you all the handouts.    / @genealogytv  . As a Channel Member, find the handouts by scrolling through the blog posts on the Community tab at    / @genealogytv   📝 3) All handouts can be PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY ($5 and up) at https://genealogytv.org/handouts/. Here you will get a redirect and an email to download the handouts. 📝 4) Become a monthly PATRON at the HAPPY DANCE level ($15/Month) or more. You will get early release of the videos and the handouts are emailed to you, when they become available.   / genealogytv   ❤️ BECOME A GENEALOGY TV CHANNEL MEMBER and help support Genealogy TV - see perks!    / @genealogytv   ❤️ Patreon Membership – Handouts Emailed as they are produced.   / genealogytv  . ✅ Genealogy TV WEBSITE https://genealogytv.org/ ✅ GTV on FACEBOOK   / genealogytv   ✅ SIGN UP For GTV’s NEWSLETTER https://mailchi.mp/a0862c6473aa/genea... 👉 Subscribe to Genealogy TV (Free)    / @genealogytv   ** GTV Affiliate Partners ** 🛍️ Genealogy TV’s AMAZON STORE full of Connie’s favorites. https://www.amazon.com/shop/genealogytv #Genealogy #GenealogyTV #FamilyHistory Circus Waltz - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... 00:00 Records Checklist Intro 00:38 About the Handout 01:29 FamilySearch Wiki 01:58 Cyndi's List 02:16 Back to FamilySearch Wiki 03:09 About the Checklist 03:40 Big Four Record Categories 03:52 Residency 04:06 Census Records 04:33 State Census 04:59 Other Census 05:15 Mortality Schedules 05:39 Vital Records 06:00 BMD on FS Wiki 06:33 Marriage Records 06:47 Divorce Records 07:06 Finding the Records 07:19 Church Records 07:46 Legal Records 08:12 GTV on Social Media 08:25 FamilySearch Full Text Search 09:59 Work & Education 10:45 Military Records 12:07 Migration 12:37 Immigration vs Emigration 14:02 Gazetteers 15:09 Orphanages, Adoption, Prisons, etc. 15:47 Newspapers & Stories 17:17 Maps + More