You want to start a family tree, but do not know where to begin?  Here are some simple steps to start you on your way.

Find out if anyone in your family has started a family tree. This will save time and frustration on your part.  No need to duplicate work!  If someone has started a tree, ask if you can have a copy.  You may be able to fill in information they do not have.

If no one has started a family tree, being by writing everything you know down on a piece of paper. Start with yourself and work backwards. You can make it like a tree or just jot down notes as you go.   Figure out how much information you want your tree to have.  One item I included in my tree is cause of death.  You can include occupations, religion, hobbies, Sacraments/Ordinances, its up to you once you have the name, birth year, birth city and country and year of death.

Another good reference is memorial cards from funeral services. They may be able to help fill in  dates and full names.

Once you have exhausted your personal knowledge, its time to turn to family members for further assistance. Make sure they are willing to help you.  At times, family members may not want to help for whatever reasons.  Or they may not have much information to help, if they did not know extended family.  If they are willing to help, think of questions you want to ask. You may need an uncle’s birth year, a middle name or names of deceased children.  There are lists you can obtain from genealogy and cultural organization sites.  Bring along a tape recorder!

So now, you have all this information, where to store it? You can do it all by hand, as some people have done or use an existing program such as Office to make a family tree.  There are some good free programs out there for storing the data. The one I use is Personal Ancestral File from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  PAF is free, I find it very easy to use, and I’m not a Mormon.  You can upload your information to their databases, if you choose.   There is also a print companion that can be downloaded for free to print out your family tree when ready.  Software in stores can get expensive, it usually is bundled with an online subscription to a service, such as Ancestry.com.

Ask family members if you can have copies of vital records, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates.   Do not spend any money at this point for these records. Someone in your family may have these records and it will save money for records you may really need later.

So after you exhaust all the family resources, where do you go next?  I’ll discuss that in my next article.  There are a lot of free resources out there for geneology that don’t cost a thing but your time.

Did you start a family tree?  Did this help your search for more information?  Let us know at Blissfully Domestic Forums!

When Jennifer is not tracking down Mexican marriage licenses or using elementary Czech to translate death notices, you can find her at Toast on the Ceiling.