The case for climbing your family tree
Sometimes it is a good idea to write things down. Like where your grandmother was born or when. For generations, people have been taking notes on the births and deaths of family members. Most of them, except for a true genealogy hobby, are in the family Bible, on the cover, or on scraps of paper pasted there and traditionally in the hands of an older family member, like grandmother. He may already be gone, but his Bible can be found in that box in the attic. There is a treasure trove of family information available without looking too far.
Most people who begin to trace their family tree find a good starting point with the Family Bible. Maybe you’ve been thinking about looking up your family tree, or maybe a child asked a question about the family that wasn’t easily answered. You can do a simple project of looking up the basics without committing to a whole new hobby, learning a ton of terms, spending a lot of money online, or paying a professional to do it for you. It can be fun, rewarding, and free.
Many, if not most, people know very little about your family history. Creating your own history tree can be a simple task. You don’t need expensive software or subscription services. All you need to get started is basic family history, and you can get it from two places: the Family Bible and a free website on the Internet.
To get started, put a blank page in your word processor.
Start your research with you. Your information is the First Generation. Your parents are the grandparents of the second generation, the third generation, and so on.
Write your full name, when and where you were born, your spouse’s full name (use the maiden name for the wife), and the children’s names and date of birth.
That page will be YOUR Family. The researchers call that page a family group sheet. It’s about YOUR family.
Now make a family group sheet for your parents. Everything about his family. Their full and maiden names and their parents, and you and your siblings. Put the title PARENTS in the upper right corner.
Now a new Family Group Sheet for your grandparents. You will need two family group sheets for grandparents, so do only one side of your family at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Tag the new GRANDPARENTS page and get to work. In no time you should have been able to find your fourth great-grandfather, or fifth great-grandfather or more.
If Great Gramma had 12 children, just look for information about the child who is in your direct line. No aunts, uncles, or cousins to begin with. You can always go back and get everyone you find.
Learning about your family’s heritage can be revealing and a lot of fun.
You may have said “I wish Grandpa was alive, there are so many things I’d like to ask him.” Fix it so your grandkids don’t have to say that.
The only free website you need is www.FamilySearch.org Take a look.
