Where do I start?
Who do you know the most about? Who is going to be the centre and starting point of your tree? It's obvious really isn't it when you actually think about it? If you are still puzzled, then let us help you. Your family tree starts with YOU!
Before you embark on uncovering your family history, please be aware that it can be very addictive and can become an obsession. So remember to treat it as a fun hobby. There may be times when you do need to take break from it all.
What do I need to know?
The basic information you need to record are dates and relationships. Please see an example of what you might need to record for each person below.
Name - Full name including any previously used names, for example, a females maiden name.
DOB - Date of Birth. This will be needed if you wish to acquire a copy of any birth certificates.
Death Date - Again this is useful if you want to get hold of any certificates of death to see how or why a relative may have passed.
Spouse - Recording a spouse/partner (or multiple) helps to place together the children from each couple.
Marriage/Divorce Date - This is also for the use of getting hold of any certificates.
Siblings/Children - This is where we start to establish who is in each direct family.
Once you have all the information you need for yourself, continue with your immediate family. Talk to your living relatives, like your parents and grandparents, ask them as much as you can about themselves and about any dead relatives they may know about. Where possible see if you can have photocopies of any certificates and keep them somewhere safe. You may discover things about your immediate family you never knew and they too may take an interested in your research and help you further. Now you are starting to gather some data, where and how are you going to store it all?
How do I store my information?
Storing and make use of the information you start to collect can be daunting. You will need something like a box folder to hold any paper documents you get, like birth, marriage and death certificates. To start making sense of the family data you have, you will need some kind of software package and this in itself can cause a dilemma, as there are many varied software packages out there, some can by rather expensive and some are free..