Unlock Your Family History
 
GETTING STARTED
You are your own best source at this early stage. Begin by gathering information about close relatives - parents and grandparents then onto great grandparents. Most people start with their father's ancestral line because it is the one that gave them their surname. The more unusual your name, the easier it might be to trace.
 
 
Ten basic principles of research
 
  1. Work backwards in time. Begin with yourself, your parents and their parents and so on. Resist trying to link yourself to someone famous with the same name - it could lead you on a false trail.

  2. Be efficient with clues and organise research time so you do the spadework by phone, mail or on the Internet (some sites listed below) before making special trips.

  3. Tackle the home front first by digging out all personal papers and documents from family members.

  4. Research more than one family name to increase your chances of making progress. Aim to find your 16 great-great grandparents, then choose which lines to extend back in time.

  5. Draw a family tree - it helps to see what gaps need filling in.

  6. Use other peoples research. Have any cousins done searches? Try the Society of Geneologists or a local family history society.

  7. Interview as many family members as possible (see questions to ask, below) and ask to borrow or copy any documents and photos they have that will help your search.

  8. Visit your local reference library for books on family history and records.

  9. Start exploring documents held in record offices. Begin with birth, marriage and death certificates since 1837, census records, parish register, wills and directories.

  10. You may need to plan trips to ancestors' burial places or visit distant relatives. If you have Welsh, Scottish or Irish ancestors, you may need to visit archives in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Dublin or Belfast.


THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR RELATIVES
 
  1. Where and when were you born?

  2. What was your father's full name - and did he have a nickname?

  3. What was your mother's full name - and did she have a nickname?

  4. Where and when did your parents marry?

  5. What work did your father do? Did you ever visit his workplace?

  6. Did your father serve in the Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force?

  7. Did he receive any medals?

  8. Do you have any photos of your parents?

  9. Did your parents ever talk about their own parents - perhaps their names, place of origin, or their father's jobs?

  10. When did your parents die and where were they buried?

  11. Do you have copies of your parents' birth, marriage or death certificates?

  12. Did either parent leave a will?

  13. What are the names of your brothers and sisters?

  14. Where and when were they born?

  15. Did any of them die young?

  16. Can you remember the family home when you were a child?

  17. What schools did you and your brothers and sisters attend?

  18. Did the family attend a church and if so, which one?

  19. Do you have childhood memories of any other relatives?

  20. Do you remember any family weddings when you were young? Can you recall who was there and who was missing?


WHERE TO START ON THE WEB
 
The Internet is becoming a really powerful geneological tool. Here are some UK Web starting points:
 

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