Making a Family Tree
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Starting Your Family Tree
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Family trees are charts showing information about relatives for several generations. Besides names of great grandparents, they can show other connections such as siblings of great grandparents, in addition to their cousins and how these people are related on both the maternal and parental sides of a family. The job can seem overwhelming at first, as you may want to go back several generations. Instead of giving up, start out simple, gradually adding to your project as you gain more information.
Rummage Through Documents
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Collect family documents. Search through attics, basements, filing cabinets, and old family bibles and photograph albums to find any information about family members. Even old postcards in scrapbooks can lead to other sources and important information for your family tree.
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Interview People
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Make a list of information about every family member you know, both living and dead. Then go backward, one generation at a time, writing down everything you know about each relative. Interview older family members, asking questions about what they know about the relatives who came before them such as their grandparents, great aunts and uncles. Ask if you can go through their old family documents and Bibles, and ask for other names of people who can help you. Offer to make copies of documents, reassuring them you'll return the originals as soon as possible.
Internet Tools
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Search online for original records. By joining Ancestry.com, you can find important documents such as birth and death certificates which contain valuable information. Although many websites require a membership fee, there are also free sites where you can find death records such as OnlineObituaries.com. Marriage certificates should reveal facts such as the ages of the bride and groom, occupations, date and place of marriage, as well as the names of witnesses. If your ancestors came over from another country, search immigration records which can show when they arrived in America and where they came from.
Family Tree Searcher
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If you don't have much information about your family, sites such as FamilyTreeSearcher.com can often lead people searching for their roots to names of possible relatives. All you need is a family surname, but of course, it's easier if your last name is an unusual one rather than one that's common. Also, online genealogy message boards are a good source for connecting with others who can lead you to names of relatives.
Creating a Family Tree
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When you have as much information as possible, organize your data and note cards. Begin transferring names and information to your family tree. If you're artistically inclined, draw your own tree for more of a personal touch. Start at the top by making two boxes where you record the names of your parents. Then take each side of your family and make connecting boxes for grandparents, aunts and uncles, going back as far as you have information.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Wikimedia Commons Image
