Top 10 tips on tracing your family history
1. Work backwards in time
It's easier to work methodically from a fact such as the date of birth or a marriage of a relative than to try and trace down from a person you don't know much about.
2. Ask the family
Ask other relatives what they remember about their families. Make a note of any nicknames name changes. Contact your oldest living relative. Ask them to tell you any family stories, what their ancestors did for a living, what they looked like. Remember to be sensitive about their memories and respect their privacy. Be conscious that there might be conflicting stories about an event.
3. Take notes
You never know what information will come in useful in your research so get into the habit of taking notes on what you have looked for and what you found. There are many useful computer software packages that will help you keep your records in an orderly manner and help draw up pedigrees and family groups sheets so you know who you are dealing with. If you don't like computers then keep your notes on each family in folders or think about using a card index. Make sure you back up your computer files and write your name on your notes. You don't want to lose your hard work.
4. Check out the Web
The Internet can be a useful tool for contacting relatives and finding data. There are some superb websites that will help you start your family history such as the BBC family history pages or the Guardian Online which have useful links. The GENUKI website has lots of free information and links to local information. Of course many records themselves are now online.
5. Meet other family historians
Family Historians are incredibly help to each other. There is a network of local societies with regular meetings up and down the country. Here you can meet like minded people with the same interests. Each local society will have a website and often have a members forum to discuss local family history matters and give advice and help. The Society of Genealogists www.sog.org.uk is the largest genealogical society with a remarkable library and education programme of talks, workshops, seminars and tutorials on all aspects of family history. Details of local societies can be found through the Federation of Family History Societies www.ffhs.org.uk.
6. What's been done before?
It's worth checking if anyone else is doing research into your family before you start. Social network sites like roootseb, familyrelatives, lost cousins or genesreunited where people can register their research interests and could be a way of finding information. The Society of Genealogists library collects published and unpublished family histories and research notes. It's free library catalogue can be found on its website which also list the names in its various collections
7. Read up on the subject
Family history is a popular hobby as can be seen with the number of television programmes and websites but they don't always tell you how to find information or work past a research problem. There are many good books and magazines devoted to family history. Your local library will have a wide selection and all of the popular magazines devoted to the subject will have more detailed accounts of records and sources as well as tips and techniques, reviews of software and websites etc. The Society of Genealogists and The National Archives have good online bookshops with plenty of titles to help you.
8. Ask questions
Who are you dealing with? You must at least know a name. Where did your ancestors live? Most records are associated with a place. When were they alive? Records and research will differ depending on the period you are interested in. What did your ancestors do in their lives and will that affect what information you can find? Finding answers to these key questions will help you build up the family story.
9. Get some documentary evidence
Your family history will be drawn from myriad of records and sources throughout history in which your ancestors will be mentioned. Birth, marriage and death records, censuses 1841-1901, wills, church records occupational records, education and apprenticeship, military service records, tax records, criminal records, poor law, newspapers, trade directories, ecclesiastical licences, church court records, tombstones etc might all throw up valuable information.
10. Stay focussed
It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the information that's available to family historians. Remember to have a clear idea of what you are looking for and why you started the search in the first place. Family history is fun and thoroughly absorbing. If you like detective stories and have a mind for solving puzzles then it's definitely the hobby for you. Good hunting.
