How to Get Started Tracing Your Family Tree in 10 Easy Steps!

This will be a series of posts that offers guidance to new Family Tree Hunters on directions they can take to start finding their ancestors.  This was actually a list I created several years back to help my husband's aunt start her tree and I have used it as course material when teaching people how to get started.  I've added a few updated comments since then.  I hope you will find it useful as well and leave your comments and suggestions with more tips!  By the end of this series, most of you will be able to IMMEDIATELY name 4, possibly 5 generations on your family tree!


1. Notice how the title said "10 EASY steps"? Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. If you want to do a good job, then go in to it with “doing a good job” in mind and forget “Easy”.




2. Be Selfish. Start with yourself. You know (or hopefully you do!) when and where you were born, who your spouse is, and when you were married. Think of this as your universe and you’re the center of it!


3. Next, list your children and their information. If you want to include a little note as to why you were living in Maryland when Mary was born and Georgia when George was born, go ahead. There is no “Best” way to write your family’s history. These are those little details about YOUR family that your cousins just won’t know. You may even need to call the kids—you’d be surprised how many folks out there don’t remember their daughter-in-law’s maiden name.  One note here:  when you are starting out, you don't need to spend a lot of money on expensive genealogy software or websites.  I have all those things and still keep a notebook and pencil on my desk to write things down in.  If you're great with computers, you may be comfortable going that route.  But if you want to just write things down in a notebook as you're starting out and think about choosing which program works best for you later, then do that.  Remember, you are the center of this universe and you can do it anyway you want!


The next post will talk about certificates and how to find them...