Getting started with your family tree – tips for the young and young at heart.

Start with Yourself and Add Your Family

Write down your full name, birth date, and place of birth.

Record parents, siblings, and grandparents—names, dates, and places (birth, marriage, death if known).

Tip: Use pedigree and family group charts to record the information.

Gather Information

Talk to relatives. Interview parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles. Ask about
names, dates, places, and family stories.

Gather home sources. Look for old photographs, letters,
diaries, family Bibles, certificates, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and obituaries.

Organize Your Findings

Use pedigree and family group sheet charts and/or a desktop or
online tool to keep track of people and connections.

Keep track of your sources and any information you find.

Record where you found each piece of information, even if it came from a conversation.

Research and Expand

Start researching birth, marriage, and death records, census records, and other resources to fill in the gaps, confirm details, and extend your tree further back in time.

You may wish to focus on one family line at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. Pick one branch (maternal or paternal) to start researching deeper.

Share What You Find!

Share your family history with other family members.

Tell the stories.

Celebrate your origins.

Remember your ancestors!