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starting family history: the first steps
The most important rule in family history research
is to work backwards and to work from the known to the unknown.
Don't
assume that someone famous with the same name, even if it's an unusual
one, is related to you. They may well be related, but you'll have
to discover whether they are or not by tracing your own family back
through the generations.
Always start with yourself. You'll be tracing your ancestors
so that's who you need to start with.
So
here’s your first task – make a note
of your full name date and place of birth and the full names of both
of your parents (include your mother’s maiden name) and their
occupations at the time of your birth – your birth certificate
should help you here.
Once you’ve done that move back a generation
and make a note of your parents’ details as you did for yourself.
You may find this more difficult – I know people who have
no idea of their grandparents’ names let alone their dates and
place of birth. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can. If you
are lucky – perhaps
you were a good listener to older relatives when you were younger -
you’ll be able to at least list the names of some of your great-grandparents. **
**At
this stage you may want to start entering the information that
you have on a family history programme. There are several on the
market. Below is one that I have used:
Family
Tree Maker
an alternative is:
Who
Do You Think You Are? Family Tree Maker (Deluxe Version)
Note: You have 4 grandparents,
8 great grandparents, 16 great–great
grandparents, 32 great-great-great grandparents. Each generation
back doubles the number.
At this point you’ll realise that it
would take you a dozen lifetimes to research all your ancestors.
But don’t worry – most people follow just one or two lines
once they’ve gone back a few generations. Although there was
a time that families were only traced through the male line you don't
have to follow this tradition. Trace whichever line you wish.
It can be useful to research more than one line at
a time - if you get stuck
on one you can concentrate on the other for a while. Also it would
be a shame to only follow one line as you could miss out on some fascinating
characters and stories that may be equally close to you in blood.
Don’t be too disappointed if at this stage you
can’t get beyond
the names of your 4 grandparents. It’s not unusual. Once you've
jotted down all you remember then it's time to ask your relatives.
When you are ready for the next stage go to
Asking the Family
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