Complete Guide To Family History Research

GETTING STARTED IN GENEALOGY

What are your aims?

Before you start you will need to decide what part of your ancestry you wish to trace. There are three main ways of researching your family tree.

• Create a family tree following your paternal line (father, grandfather, great grandfather) plus their wives and children.
• Create a family tree adding all descendants from the earliest male ancestor you are able to find.
• Create a family tree showing ancestors through both your Paternal and maternal lines. This is the most difficult option as the further you go back, the harder it is to trace the female line.

How to begin?

Start by contacting your living relatives and inform them what you are trying to do. You may find that someone in the family has already done some genealogy research in the past which will be a big help. Find out if they are willing to help you and make arrangements to pay them a visit. An important point to remember is that your oldest living relatives may hold information not known to others. Make arrangements to visit them before it is too late.

On the day of the visit remember to take a note book and pen. Date the information and add the name of the person that you are visiting. You may find that you need to contact them again about something. Whether you are corresponding by post, email or in person it may pay to suggest that they keep in contact as the first contact my spark off further information which could lead to obtaining vast amounts of additional information.

Information to find out

• If your parents are still living, ask them where they grew up. Make a note of any addresses where they have lived.
• Ask if you can see their Birth and Marriage certificates and note all names, dates and places mentioned.
• Gather any information that you can on their parents and siblings. Make a note of any living family members that you may be able to visit.
• Find out if the death date and place of any deceased family members are known. Also the location of any cemeteries or graves.
• Check to see if they have information in an old family bible, old newspaper cuttings, baptism/confirmation certificates, diaries etc.
• Have they got Birth, Marriage or death certificates in their possession belonging to their parents or grandparents?
• If any family members in the war, in which branch of the military did they serve. Are the service numbers known?
• Record any stories or family legends whether you have evidence to their truth or not. These can be saved for later. Genealogy is more than gathering names and dates. It is also a study of the lives your ancestors led, how long they lived and how they died.
• With your relatives go through any photograph albums they may have. Make a note of any relations/relationships you have not come across yet. Find out all you can about them. If you do not have any photographs yourself of any of the relatives you visit, take a camera with you.

Record your progress

Now you have some information you can begin to record your family history. Always start with yourself and work backwards. You may do this on paper, download a free pedigree chart from the internet, purchase a tree maker or use the sites own tree maker. Record your full name, date and place of birth. If you are a married woman use your maiden name and record your date and place of marriage and name of your spouse. Now add your father (your paternal line) and your mother (your maternal line). Continue by adding your grandparents and the remainder of their children.

Ideas for further help

• To find the parents names of those relatives you have found, send for their birth and marriage certificates.
• Visit cemeteries. Grave stones often give some good information.
• Join your local genealogy society and also add your name to genealogy mailing lists which can be found on the internet.
• Visit your main reference library to view the I.G.I and electoral rolls.
• The 1881 census for England and Wales can be viewed free on line at http://www.familysearch.org along with many earlier records.
• The census from 1841-1901 can be found on several sites. These are very good but not cheap to join. As a beginner, you may prefer to ask for help with this part of your research.
• Records offices are a good source of all genealogy data including Births, Deaths and marriages before Sep 1837 when statutory records began.

Written By Ancestry Aid Member: Starlight