et at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussin

Resist the urge to race into the dark distant past too quickly. Tracing your family tree is, essentially, an exercise in record keeping. Any mistakes made at these early stages may result in many hours of research into the wrong tree!

Most people choose, initially, to trace a particular line. In many cases this is the paternal line as this is where you inherited your surname. Having exhausted this line you may then return to start on a different line. There’s no hard and fast rule for this decision as you will have your own interest in a particular branch of the family.

Start at home

Before launching into public records and internet searches take some time to record the details of what you already know of your family.

For the moment, keep it simple. On a (large) piece of paper, note down;
Names, relationship;
Dates and places of;
birth;
christening;
marriage;
death;
Residences;
Occupation and places of work;
Military service

Most of us will be able to record our recent family history up to our grandparents. Even at this early stage you will usually be surprised to discover how little you actually know about these more immediate members of the family.

e.g. What was Gran’s maiden name? Did she have brothers / sisters?, etc, etc.

Oral History

Certificates can only tell part of the rich history of your family. These official documents record the statistical information required by law. The real ‘history’ of your family comes down generations through the stories and letters of our forebears.

Every family historian, myself included, will tell with regret at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussin

then return to start on a different line. There’s no hard and fast rule for this decision as you will have your own interest in a particular branch of the family.

Start at home

Before launching into public records and internet searches take some time to record the details of what you already know of your family.

For the moment, keep it simple. On a (large) piece of paper, note down;
Names, relationship;
Dates and places of;
birth;
christening;
marriage;
death;
Residences;
Occupation and places of work;
Military service

Most of us will be able to record our recent family history up to our grandparents. Even at this early stage you will usually be surprised to discover how little you actually know about these more immediate members of the family.

e.g. What was Gran’s maiden name? Did she have brothers / sisters?, etc, etc.

Oral History

Certificates can only tell part of the rich history of your family. These official documents record the statistical information required by law. The real ‘history’ of your family comes down generations through the stories and letters of our forebears.

Every family historian, myself included, will tell with regret at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussin

ationship;
Dates and places of;
birth;
christening;
marriage;
death;
Residences;
Occupation and places of work;
Military service

Most of us will be able to record our recent family history up to our grandparents. Even at this early stage you will usually be surprised to discover how little you actually know about these more immediate members of the family.

e.g. What was Gran’s maiden name? Did she have brothers / sisters?, etc, etc.

Oral History

Certificates can only tell part of the rich history of your family. These official documents record the statistical information required by law. The real ‘history’ of your family comes down generations through the stories and letters of our forebears.

Every family historian, myself included, will tell with regret at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussin

.g. What was Gran’s maiden name? Did she have brothers / sisters?, etc, etc.

Oral History

Certificates can only tell part of the rich history of your family. These official documents record the statistical information required by law. The real ‘history’ of your family comes down generations through the stories and letters of our forebears.

Every family historian, myself included, will tell with regret at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussin

et at missing the opportunity to actually speak to ‘Uncle Johnny’. When you speak to relatives make sure and get the stories. Unlike ‘Uncle Johnny’, the official records will be available to inspect for decades to come…

Do not underestimate the value in this type of research. My grandmother was born in 1907 and had very clear memories of elderly relatives whom she remembered from childhood. I remember discussing these individuals with her in the early 1990’s and marvelling at the fact that we were talking about people born some 140 years earlier through first hand recollections!

When meeting relatives try and be specific with your questions;

What regiment did you / he / she serve with?
Where did you / he / she go to school?
How many brothers / sisters did you / he / she have?
This part of the research can be very rewarding and the perfect excuse to contact family members with whom you’ve ‘lost touch’. Remember though, some people (particularly older relatives) may not want to discuss this, especially where there may have been illegitimacy, divorce or other ‘sensitive’ situations, so tread carefully.

Select a single surname, individual, or family with which to begin. Focusing your family history search helps keep your research on track, and reduces the chance of missing important details due to sensory overload. As much as you might want to, you can't do it all at once.