What is the best way start your family tree?

Question

Best way to start is your own parent's ancestors.

Answer 1

Get a software program (makes it easier to organize) and start with your name first in the tree. You will branch off with your Dad and Mom and start filling in with their individual families, etc. till you can't go any further. Make sure you talk to all your living relatives and get as much information as possible.

I have my family tree complete to Scotland on one side of the family and to Germany on the other. So far, it has taken over 10 years. It is fun and I have enjoyed it. Plan to print it out and give to my family members for Christmas.

Answer 2

First, write down everything you know about your family tree. Your parents, their parents and (hopefully) their parents. That is normally 3 generations right from memory. Next, call up family to see if anyone else already has a family tree done. Then, if they do have a tree, expand from it. I signed up at Ancestory.com and put as much as I could into my tree. Links popped up on some of the people in my tree who had no further information. You will have to make educated guesses at times. Other people who have family trees can be of help too. If you have a common relative, then at least some of your tree will be the same. Use their information if you can. The most involved manner is to hunt down birth and death records (originals) form your decendants. This will likely take you around the world. Most of all --- enjoy doing it. Anything you do not enjoy doing, you will stop doing.

Answer 3

I don't know what type of records are kept in your country. Here in India, we have the record of many centuries of our forefathers. Actually we Indians prefer to marry in our castes only and that also we take care that "Gotra" is not the same. (Gotra means a name of first ancestor of family from whom todays generation has come ) If this gotra is same that means both the girl and boy are of the same tree and they can't marry as they become brother and sister. For example, my caste is SKP and I'm warrior by caste. We have our book which has all details of 800 years with names of people and places from where we migrated to Mumbai some 800 years back. Keeping trail of family tree is very easy and important in Indian caste system.

Answer 4

I used genealogy software to document my family tree. The way I did it was to start with myself. Next, I put my parents, my brother, and my sister in the tree. From there I branched out in a number of different directions, such as my parent's siblings, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on.

I got my information came from a variety of sources, such as older family trees that were done by distant cousins of mine, as well as searching on the internet. A couple years back my family was contacted by a person in Luxembourg who provided information all the way back to the early 18th century on one branch of my family.

Answer 5

Work backwards, as people have said. Once you get to people born before 1920 you can start looking on the web. The rest of this is my standard answer.

I hope you'll accept a general answer. These questions come up every day:

Where can I find my family tree for free?
Does anyone know the {Surname} family?
What are good sites for ancestors / genealogy?

They are all about tracing your family tree on the Internet. The fourth time I typed in my favorite beginner's links I realized I should save them in a text file and paste them in. This is long and general. Because it is general, not all the links will apply to every question or questioner.

These may help get you started. They are large and free. Many of them, however, have subtle ads for Ancestry.com in them - ads that ask for a name, then offer a trial subscription. Watch out for those advertisements.

http://www.cyndislist.com/
(240,000+ links, all cross-indexed. If you want Welsh or Pennsylvania Dutch or Oregon or any other region, ethnic group or surname, chances are she has links for it.)
http://www.familysearch.com
(Mormon's mega-site. Click on "Search")
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi
(460,000,000+ 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" You may find your grandparents.)
http://find.person.superpages.com/
(US Phone book, for looking up distant cousins)


United Kingdom Only:
http://www.genuki.org.uk/
(Biggest site for United Kingdom & Ireland)
http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
(Free Birth, Marriage & Death Records)

(If you posted your question in Genealogy, ignore this paragraph. If you posted it in the "Family" category, read on.)
Tracing your family tree is called genealogy. YA has a category for genealogy,
Home > Arts & Humanities > Genealogy
There are hundreds of more links in the resolved answers there.


Notes:

You usually have to do some research. Sometimes you get lucky. Don't give up if your Great grandfather with your surname isn't there. Try all eight great-grandparents.

You won't find living people on any of the sites except the phone book one. You won't find many people born after 1920 on any of the sites except the SSDI one. Genealogists hide the birth dates, birth places and other facts of living people to protect their privacy. 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. Many people complain about advertisements. Please don't. They bring you the "free" sites. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

If you get serious you'll need a genealogy program. They are to family research what "Word" is to writing a novel. 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.

Answer 6

Where did they come from research it on the Internet or other genealogical sites that could offer information. Do you have English ancestry etc.

Answer 7

Start with the oldest living relative, then work from there. You can also check with the your local library, check graveyards. I know that sounds bad, but you would be surprised at the history that is there.

Answer 8

start with yourself and then work up from there. when you run out of people, check the names in a genealogy wed finder or etc.