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This page was updated on 16th September 2013.
Print off a copy of the fieldwork Recording Form. By using the View > Text Size menu on your browser you should be able to fit it onto one side of A4 paper.
Make photocopies of the Recording Form.
Have a copy with you when you read through the Reasons for Each Field.
Visit your first memorial - this will probably be a recent one of a close relative. At least you will know where it is and it will be easy to read.
Once you've recorded one memorial you have the basis of your Archive.
Finding a few more to transcribe should be easy if relations can point you in the right direction. If some of your family settled in other countries write to your living relatives and seek their assistance. The CMIAR Archive system is designed to be world-wide.
Most families can accumulate about ten memorials without too much difficulty. Then the fun begins. The dates of ones you can get easily may be less than a hundred years old. The ones that are really worth finding are the old ones, particularly those earlier than 1837 (start of BMD Registers in England and Wales). Don't despair, they are out there. They just need finding.
Rural churchyard gravestones became popular around the middle of the 18th century. If some of your ancestors were landed gentry then there is a strong possibility that you may find memorials inside a church. These became fashionable in the 17th century and, if you're really lucky, you may find some earlier than 1600.
If you feel your Archive is worth continuing then now is the time to consider using the CMIAR software to hold your Archive. The major advantage is the ability to map your memorials, and as your Clan (family) Archive grows the search facilities can aid the process of examining who may be related to whom.