Genealogy Chat

I have literally just started researching my family tree, and wondered what is the best way to do it. Is it best, for example, to stick to one line (e.g. fathers paternal side) or keep adding as much info as possible and digressing in ever expanding circles, and ever increasing relations. Any advice is extremely welcome, as I am very, very new at all this

Hi Andrew, Welcome to this addictive (and sometimes frustrating!) hobby. I am still quite new myself, but have found these message boards invaluable. The best place to start is living relatives. Get all the info you can from them (names, dates places etc) plus any certificates, letters what have you, that way you have a good base. After that I picked which branch I wanted to follow but found I was swapping and changing all the time depending on what info came up! Have a look at the good websites thread and try checking some of your names in those. Also try to double check things the living rellies tell you as they are known for getting confused at times! Lastly keep posting help notices if you get stuck, loads of really helpful people here. Happy hunting, Rebecca

Andrew I started off with a sheet of A4 paper and wrote my name at the bottom. Above my name I put my parents with dates of birth and where born and above them their parents etc until I ran out of known details. From that you can draw a basic tree and see what it is you need to know next. To read some good tips, click of Resource Centre to the left of this screen and find Useful Links. One of the most useful is GENUKI ...if you search the site you will see a very good guide for Newbies. hope this helps Sue

Andrew, I started about this time last year and my first trail was proving what I know to be true e.g. I went to teh local records office and got the GRO references for my birth and my brothers, then my parents marriage, then my grandparents marriage and their births. I am pretty much working back on all the lines. Once I found my paternal grandparents births I got the certificates so I would have the four names of my great grandparents. I'm steadily continuing this and it's my main aim to keep going this way. Once you get more used to what you're doing and where you can find information you can go off on a tangent. When you find census details you'll get siblings. Or you may order a certificate which brings up a family name you don't recognise, which you then investigate and it's Auntie Alice's illegitmate sons third daughter. I suggest you set yourself to working back generation by generation (parnets to grandparents to great grandparents) and then if someone intrigues you, look into them. Top tip - make very good notes of all your searches - even if you don't find anything you want. A year down the line you won't remember that you looked for census information on a missing cousin for three days and didn't find it and you'll end up doing it all again. Good luck and ask for as much help as you think you need - everyone on here will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. Zoe

I agree with all the above. How you do your tree is entirely up to you. 1 branch or say 4. Sometimes I find a distant relative that fascinates me and I may follow them for awhile. More than 1 branch is good because if you hit a brickwall then you can divert for a while whilst you collect your thoughts. 1 important thing though............ check and double check any info you get against the true records. Oh and when you think you have found a relative ......kill them off first. So to speak Good luck and always ask for help. John

only two bits of advice. 1 collect everything you find and file it as maybes 2 dont believe any of it until you have concrete evidence its right oh and 3. still dont believe it!!! lol happy hunting debbi

Would suggest you also visit your local library and look in the Genealogy section - non fiction with 929.1 and similar on the spine. Borrow a good general guide such as The Family History Book or Ancestral Trails or something similar - this will help you understand the different sources etc available. Would also recommend you purchase/subscribe to one of the monthly family history magazines - have a browse at W H Smith and choose whichever takes your fancy. One last thing - there are no silly questions, so just ask away anytime!! Happy hunting! Maz. XX

all the above and - visit http://www.one-name.org/ to see if anyone has already researched the surname you are interested in. I was very lucky with my husband's surname - I was supplied a tree that had links right down to his father.

Step One. Buy a set of darts. Step Two. Take them to Pub. Step Three. Play darts and drink until any memory of the words Family Tree disappear. You can't do that? Too Late!! You are hooked. Read the rest of this thread and good hunting. Keith

Thanks everyone for your very kind replies. It makes it a bit easier knowing there are plenty of people out there willing to help a novice !!! Look out for lots more questions as I get more and more engrossed (or desperate !!!) Andy

You might find it useful to have a computer programme to store all your info on as it soon grows to impossible proportions otherwise. The free download from familysearch .org, called paf(personal ancestral file) is very good, and you can always buy something else later if paf hasn't quite all the things you find you want. Very easy to download....even I managed it!!! Joan