Heartland Helping Hands Presents:
Searching Your Family Tree
- The Basics -

Write what you know about your ancestors on a piece of paper in the following order:

Person #1:
  • Begin with yourself.
  • Your full name, like this - first middle LAST.
  • Date (date Month year, i.e. 17 Mar 2000) and place (city, county, state, country) where you were born.
Person #2:
  • Next, your father's full name - same order and style as your name.
  • Date and place he was born.
  • Date and place where he was married.
  • Date and place where he died, if applicable.
 Person #3:
  • Next, your mother's full name - same order and style as your name.
  • Date and place she was born.
  • Date and place she died, if applicable.
Persons #4 & 5:
  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your Father's Parents

(Your paternal grandparents)

 Persons #6 & 7:

  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your Mother's Parents

(Your maternal grandparents)

You should now have 7 people identified. If you got "stuck" at any of these points, that's where you begin to ask questions.
Persons #8 & 9:

  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your paternal Grandfather's Parents

(Your paternal great-grandparents on your father's father's side)

 Persons #10 & 11:

  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your paternal Grandmother's Parents

(Your paternal and maternal great-grandparents on your father's mother's side)

 Persons #12 & 13:

  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your maternal Grandfather's Parents

(Your paternal & maternal great-grandparents on your mother's father's side)

 Persons #14 & 15

  • Complete steps 2 & 3 above for your maternal Grandmother's Parents

(Your paternal & maternal great-grandparents on your mother's mother's side)

Wow! 15 people identified! If you've filled all this information in completely, you've done a marvelous thing!

A system for keeping track of these family members can be found at your local Family History Center (LDS sponsored, but everyone is welcome), or your local bookstore may have some information. The public library should be rich in "digging at your roots-type" information.

It's really easy to put these family members into a Pedigree Chart if you have access to one. You can download a great "free" program, called Personal Ancestral File by going to http://www.familysearch.org Then, you'll be able to print out a blank Pedigree Chart from there. You can also put this data directly into PAF. Although it may be easier to begin by filling out a blank form, in pencil.

NOTE: We will be adding to this page. Please bookmark this site and come back when you've completed this much of the information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact turkeymama. She has been doing this "stuff" for a LONG time and is willing to give assistance where possible.

More to come:

Family Group Records

What's Next

The Deep Roots

Thanks for coming!

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Created by turkeymama March 17, 2000.

Copyright 2000.
No duplication of this information is allowed, except in personal family history research.
The coding for this page is not for duplication of any sort,
unless approval has been given, in advance, in writing, by turkey.mama@usa.net