When you decide you’d like to trace your family tree, in the beginning you’re not going to be exactly where to look, particularly if yours is, as mine was, a very large family, which began as tightly knit and branched out to include many corners of the globe. My father was one of twelve children, and each of the twelve had children, giving us about 80 members in just those two generations. It seemed insurmountable until I actually got started graphing it out.

Make it a point to add information to the graph or computer family tree as soon as you get it, so that its not mislaid, lost or has to be dug out of a file again. Update at regular intervals even if the intervals are only every few months.

The absolute first thing that you should do is to get in touch with your family, the immediate one, those who are living, parents, aunts, uncles are all going to have some clues about the family that can help you in the search. Its possible to search them out, where they ended up, and what they did, even not having all the information possible, but just bits and pieces here and there.

To be honest at times its more interesting that way. Each person you talk with, each little story you hear,( and DO listen, not just to facts, but to stories, they provide invaluable clues to small things you might never find otherwise) each bit of information is a new piece of the puzzle that you might add to the overall mystery you’re trying to solve.

If your family members are deceased, move to their friends, childhood ones, if they are available, or even those they made later in life. Inlaws of the parents will also have information that might be helpful to you. Anyone who might have a story to tell about your family member is someone you want to get in touch with again.

Some of the questions you might want to ask are:

• Do you know where they were born, or the date?
• Where did they live growing up?
• Where were they married, or when?
• Do you know their parents names?
• Did the parents have sisters or brothers who may have children, which could also be helpful?
• Where are their parents buried, or if alive, where do they live?
• Who are their oldest living relatives?
• Do you know where any relatives may be buried?
• Do you know of any childhood friends who may still be alive?

Take a camera with you when you visit. Almost everyone will be glad to let you take a photo of their old photos, but many people will be reticent, and with good reason, to let you take them with you to copy.Use those older photos in searching and also to illustrate your family history.

When you visit someone to ask questions, particulary a very elderly person, be prepared.. They will love to hear from you and truly love answering your questions.. The conversations will most likely not be short lived, nor always straightforeward. Be prepared to take some time, and make sure that you bring a pencil or even a tape recorder or a video camera (with fresh batteries and lots of tapes).

Hearing great stories about family members is something that will give you clues about little things you want to explore later, so don’t let them slip away without having some way to commit them to memory. The story about Uncle Alberts trip to Alaska, where he settled and married the native girl, is going to clue you in to search the arctics for part of your family tree. Make sure those things are committed to paper or tape to explore later.

Write or record everything, even if it seems trivial at the time. That little bit of information that seems worth nothing now, may be the exact scrap that you need a year from now, when another puzzle piece just won’t fit.

Tags:  genealogy tracing roots tracing