How to Trace a Family Tree in the UK
Learn how to trace a family tree in the United Kingdom and interact with others who are creating their own family trees with relatives in the UK. The more information you collect about your ancestors before starting your research, the easier it will be to search and find their names and records. Whether you live in the UK or another country and want to trace your roots back to the UK, you can start with a few basic websites.
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Things You'll Need
- Personal information of as many living relatives as you can find
- Family tree software or a free online family tree maker
Instructions
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Start your search by talking to living relatives. Take down as much information as you can get concerning birthdays and marriages. Ask relatives about deceased relatives to obtain information about them.
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Use Genes Reunited (see Reference) to search available family trees, military records and census records. The website allows you to make your family tree online and chat with other people searching for UK relatives. You must register for the site, which is free.
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Use the resources at Ancestry UK. This website is meant for people searching ancestors in the United Kingdom. You must sign up and pay a monthly, a semiannual or an annual subscription to use the site, but if you are a first-time user, you can get a free trial period.
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Search the website for names of living and deceased relatives. You can search census records, marriage and birth records, military records, obituaries, newspaper clippings and historical records, which can help you find out more information about other relatives.
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Use Google search to find others searching the same family name. You can enter the name of a relative and add "UK" into Google and see what information comes up. For instance, enter "Jack Rowse in UK." Check out all information to see if it may pertain to your family or distant relatives. If you know a particular area that the person lived in, you can be more specific and add the location, such as Liverpool or Belfast.
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Tips & Warnings
Check your information twice with different resources before confirming that the person is indeed a relative.
