FamilySearch has provided 5 tips for searching historical family records:

1. Have a goal. Know who or what you want to find.
2. Try variations of spellings, dates, and geographic locations.
3. Search for members of the same family.
4. If it’s available, look at the image of a record. Images often include more information than what appears on the search results.
5. It’s ok to leave some search fields blank but be sure to include a surname.

See the page 5 tips for searching historical records for demos and more information.

You can also get one-on-one help from FamilySearch.