I have no information about my family but would like to make a family tree. Where do I start?

Question

I know the first and last name of my father and the first name of my mother. I do not know her maiden name. How can I find out more about my family tree with that little bit of information?

[Edit] Sorry, should have added the fact that I really do not have any contact with my dad. My parents are divorced and I haven't talked with him in years. Also I was wanting this to be kept from my mom. As in not letting her know. I also have not contact with any of my extended faimly.

Answer 1

since thats all the info u have ask ur mom whats her mother full name before she married and type it in on the cpu nad there u havw it a list of ur family

Answer 2

Start with your own birth certificate. If you do not have a copy, contact the State where you born and request one. There is a small fee involved but you will gain valuable information to further your search. On your birth certificate there will be:
1. Your father's full name
2. Your father's place of birth
3. Your mother's full name, including maiden name
4. Your mother's place of birth.

From there, you request a copy of your parent's birth certificates, and you continue working backwards from yourself. If you're lucky, your State might require the maternal and paternal grandparents' information, and that would show on your birth certificate as well. You can also go to http://www.familysearch.org/ and use the LDS website to make inquires. If someone has already done the work and submitted it to the LDS Church, then it will be on the website. If not, you can work from the birth certificates and -- if you choose -- you could submit your family tree to the LDS Church for inclusion in their records. It's fun, it's some times frustrating, and it's always enlightening to do your family tree. Good luck!

Answer 3

You have had two good hints for your mother's maiden name - brothers and birth certificate. Before I paste my stock answer, a third suggestion. If you live where your parents were married and know when they were married, look for a wedding story in the microfilm copies of the local newspaper at the public library. If they got one printed, it will usually say

"The bride is the daughter of . . ." and "The groom is the son of . . ." which will get you your grandparents.

Your parents' marriage license will probably have their parents' names too, but it costs $10 - $25 for a copy. The library would be free.

Here is my stock answer.

I save this and paste it because people ask the same question 1 - 4 times a day:

What are good free sites for genealogy?
Does anyone know about the {surname} family?
How can I trace my family tree, for free?

Sometimes they ask in the genealogy category,
Arts & Humanities -> Genealogy.
Sometimes they don't. Since this is a general answer, some of the paragraphs may not apply to you. If you search or browse the resolved questions in the Genealogy category, you can find more links from other people.

Two warnings:
1) It takes time. Compiling a good family tree is like writing a term paper for a high school history class. You have to research.
2) Most of the genealogy data on the web is about people born before 1900, to protect living people's privacy. You'll have to find your grandparents (or great grandparents) off the web.

Here are some large free sites.

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, some excellent, some bad, most in between)
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?ln=
Surname meanings and origins; no specific individuals, but fun.


These are for the USA only.

http://www.usgenweb.net/
(Subdivided into state sites, which all have county sites.)
(Canada has a Canadian Gen Web, with sites for each 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)


These two are for the UK & Ireland only:
http://www.genuki.org.uk
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/


If you get serious, you should probably buy a genealogy program. I like Roots Magic. Family Tree Maker is very popular. Both are $29 in the USA, but you can sometimes find old versions in discount bins at software stores.

http://www.tedpack.org/begingen.html
has some tips for beginners.

Answer 4

I thought that and now have 267 names on my tree and only been doing it a month.
Has your mum got any brother's as then your have her maiden name.
Go to www.genes reunited and start your tree there.it's free to do a tree and you can look up name's of the family you do know but if you want 2 send and reseve msg's it will cost you about £10 for a year's membership but well worth it.
Good luck and give it a go. :O)

Answer 5

Go to www.familysearch.org Start there with the info you do have and see where it will take you. Good luck and have fun. Doing family history is a lot of fun!

Answer 6

if you have a credit card you can go to familytree.com, they will get you started. or just ask a family member like a grandmother or aunt, they might have something for you to go off of.

Answer 7

ask your father and mother who there dad and mum was