Hi Wayne,
A good way to begin researching your family is to start with the facts that you know: begin with the names of your parents and grandparents, their dates of birth, marriage, and death, and the places where these events occurred. Continue going back in time for as many generations of your family as you can. This may sound like a "no-brainer", but it really helps to write it all down, or enter it into a computer file.
To find information on your ancestors, there are several on-line databases that can be helpful. The Dalton Data Bank at
http://www.daltondatabank.org/ is a good place to start. It is organized by country, and then by State, County, or Province. You can do searches for a country, or a smaller area, or for the entire web site.
Another great resource is Google. Simply go to Google and enter the name of your ancestor in quotes (to target matches that will contain the full name of your ancestor), plus a year or a location - such as "James Dalton" + Clare.
If you get stuck, and can't seem to locate the next key piece of information, that is exactly what the Forum is designed for. Post a query with some facts you already know about the person, and what it is that you would like to know. You will find that people are very helpful!
Wishing you good luck in your search! -- Karen
