by Richard Franklin
Your decision to start a family tree will take you on a fascinating journey back in time. Your adventure as a time traveler will begin with your life. Return to your birth certificate and begin noting where you were born, the date, your parents' full names, your mother's maiden name, etc. Next, keep track of where you've lived, your education, marriage, and children. Then go back farther in time and look at your parents' life. (There's probably a lot that you don't know about them.) Making a family tree may be a fun exercise to do with your parents, and grandparents. Let us help you make this journey more smooth and efficient. In this post, we will share some key tips for tracing your ancestors beyond records.
Personal information may serve as the foundation for your family tree. Begin at home by gathering and arranging your papers, and then create a basic chart or list, starting with yourself, your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Search for the following documents:
Examine your family's religious documents, old letters, photos, and mementos. Print copies and mark everything to document the source, and scan them to keep them digitally when feasible. Alternatively, you can also find a grave by name online and check this information in your home library.
Next, contact family members and inquire about their lifestyles as well as the lives of other relatives. First, interview all of your oldest relatives. Most of us subsequently regret not doing so in order to learn from our mistakes. Here are some of the questions that may be feasible to ask:
Bring some old pictures and attic treasures to jog their memories. Also, ask if you may examine their old family papers, letters, photographs, and mementos. These documents may assist you in broadening your search. Use your camera, phone, or a portable scanner to capture their records and photos.
Take notes while you listen to their family stories. Because each individual recalls an incident in his or her own unique manner, relatives frequently have multiple versions of the same tale, but these discrepancies make it intriguing! Tell them what you already know. If your relative is comfortable with it, use a tape recorder or video camera. Keep your first meetings with someone you're just getting to know brief. Always get permission before making copies or taking pictures, movies, or audio recordings.
After gathering family information, it is critical to record the data accurately on family group sheets and pedigree or ancestor charts. There are plenty of digital templates available online. so you can pick any of them and add your data there. Be sure to indicate a source for each fact. Your main goal here is to thoroughly capture the facts so that you can pinpoint exactly where to find the documents again. Then categorize the data so that you can find each individual in your ever-expanding collection.
Create a folder for each one (on your computer or in your filing cabinet) and include historical images of them, their family, residences, and burial markers, as well as key papers, letters, and souvenirs. Include their stories, both those you heard as a youngster and those told to you by family members.
The easiest approach to start the documentation of your family history and creating a family tree is to become familiar with the fundamentals of genealogical research. So here’s what you will need to do:
You will hardly be able to make a family try alone and in one go. So do not be shy — invite all your relatives to this process.
Tracing your ancestors can be a fun and rewarding activity for people of all ages. It can help you connect better with a sense of self by learning about the past of your family — who they were, where they came from, what occupation they had, the trials they overcame, the achievements they obtained, the dreams they had. Your ancestors' stories can shape you into a more grateful, empathetic, happy, and compassionate version of yourself.
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