One day left till the weekend, let the count down begin!
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but I am currently researching my family tree. When I started I thought it would be an easy process, I was wrong. I have learnt so much and wish that I had know these things before I started. So here are all those things, fingers crossed it makes your job easier if you plan to research your family.
1. The first and most important step is to speak your relatives: grandma's, grandpa's, aunt's, uncles, parents... you get the idea. The wealth of knowledge that these people hold is the best you can ever hear about or find. So capture those memories before you miss out, like I did - but that's another story. This is also a chance to get a peek at the family photo album that you probably never knew existed. It will also give you a chance to see which photo's are at risk of being lost forever and let you preserve (follow the link to learn how to look after them) them. Remember to take plenty of notes!
2. The next step is to sign up for one of the many free family tree charts that can be found online. This is a great way to keep track of who goes where without four million bits of paper. It also helps to make it less confusing to look at. Some people like to have one big family tree, both mother and fathers sides on the one tree. I knew that I have a rather massive family before I started so I chose to have 2 active trees - one for mamma bear and one for poppa bear.
3. Next is to hit the archives - start with what you know and then work out. That sounds hard but it's not, you will find the parents and siblings (sometimes grandparents) on just about any record - birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, census records. This is also even easier in today's modern era as most records can be found online. Another good source is to check out newspaper archives, this gives you more of an insight into your families day to day living.
4. The next, last and most important stage is working out system of storing everything you have found. I have 2 folders like my family trees (well it's 3 because dad's family is sssooo big) that are stored in alphabetical order with a plastic sleeve behind each persons profile sheet for photos, news paper cuttings and stories.
The most important step which fits into all of the above - WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. No matter how silly or irrelevant it sounds/seems, one day it might be the most important piece of information.
Until next time
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