Trace Your Ancestors

How To Get Started

1. Tracing you ancestors can be an overwhelming task. Focus on a small area of your family tree at a time. Search for one generation at a time. Verify information about the ancestors you're most familiar with. Follow the leads from there.
2. Begin at home. Letters, Bibles, diaries, photograph albums and chatting with your relatives are all valuable sources. Ask your parents for dates of birth deaths and marriages of their parents and grandparents. Names of locations will help as will birth death and marriage certificates. Try to ascertain the locations of the cemeteries where any relatives may be buried. Visit the cemeteries where your relatives are buried, you may discover a lot of useful information from their gravestones.
3. Document your sources. Keep a careful record of all the searches that you do, even if you don't find any useful information, at least you won't accidentally repeat that search again. Find out if any of your relatives have done any previous genealogical research which could save you a lot of time.
4. Use the Internet to search for any surnames that you have discovered. This may help you find others who are researching down the same lines as yourself.
5. Ask the Mormons who have a wealth of genealogical information. You can find this at their immense online library at www.familysearch.com Here you will find some useful research guides. 
6. Find out if any relative took part in the war. You can discover a lot of information at www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/info regarding members of the armed forces.
7. Try the free BMD Web site at www.freebmd.rootsweb.com where you can order copies of Births, Deaths and Marriage certificates for the relatives you find.
8. Get inspiration to continue your quest by joining one of the genealogical societies around your country.

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