How do I create a family tree?

Answer 1

Someone asks a question like yours 1 - 4 times a day here or in "Family". Before I paste my stock answer, a note - the other answers are right - you start with what you know and work backwards.

If you want to type in your name somewhere and get a 12-generation tree, skip the rest of this. I can show you where to dig, but you'll have to buy your own shovel and do the work yourself.

Buying a shovel: If you get serious you'll need a genealogy program. Trying to do family research without a genealogy program is like trying to write a novel with a pencil and yellow pad, instead of a word processor. I like Roots Magic. Family Tree Maker is the market leader. Both cost around $29. The Mormons will let you download PAF for free. It is clunky, but it is free. You can sometimes find old versions of FTM or Family Origins (FO is the predecessor of RM) in bargin bins at CostCo.

These may help get you started.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed.)

http://www.familysearch.com
(Mormon's mega-site)

http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi
(450,000,000+ entries, of varying quality)

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?ln=
Surname meanings and origins

http://www.tedpack.org/begingen.html
My own site: "How to Begin"


United States only:

http://www.usgenweb.net/
(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)
(The Canadians have Canadian Gen Web, by province)

http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
(Social Security Death index - click on "Advanced".)

http://find.person.superpages.com/
(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)

Note:

You won't find living people on any of the sites except the phone book one. You will have to find your grandparents' or great grandparents' birth dates and maiden names somewhere besides the Internet.

The free sites are supported by advertising, just like TV. You can't watch the Super Bowl without seeing a beer commercial, and you can't surf for dead relatives without seeing an Ancestry advertisement. Don't complain about advertisements. They bring you the "free" sites. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Answer 2

From where you stand now, count backward to your great, great great grandfather till those you can remember or heard of, then count forward to least person born in your family, i think this will give your a family tree and if you like you can represent each person with a treelike to get exactly what you want.

Answer 3

researching your family can take time. If you want to keep track of your family tree I recommend genopro which is a good program for keeping such records as you find them.
There is I think a free version of this program as well as a paid one. (at least there used to be) http://www.genopro.com/
there are many genealogy sites and newsletters that help you find the records of your family. Census data, county records, etc all will help you to put together your heritage.

Answer 4

If your question was simply "How do I create a family tree" and not "How do I research my family history", just go to http://www.ancestry.com and click on "Family Trees", or just click on the link below to go directly to the trees. There, you can create a family tree online for free.

Answer 5

Are you looking for a family tree maker or how to search?

Answer 6

Go on the genealogy web site. It is easy to navigate and it is possible to go back quite substantially. I went back to the 1700s!

Answer 7

Ted Pack gave you a great answer.

Answer 8

with ur family members

Answer 9

ancestry.com is good but i think that person above gave you good advice im going to try what they did

Answer 10

i think with your parents and grandparents