People love to hear about their ancestors. It takes us on a journey into past lives, times and places. And it’s fascinating to discover what we’ve inherited – whether it’s a family heirloom or the family chin.
Start the quest
The best place to start is – you! Write down everything you know about yourself and your family, noting:
• Full names
• Dates of birth, marriage and death
• Places they’ve lived.
Ask your relatives for this information too, and see how far back their memories can stretch. But remember to be tactful. What’s an intriguing piece of history to you might be a painful memory for them.
Picking up clues
When you speak to family members, ask if you can look through their official documents – often stuffed in boxes, briefcases and drawers! Particularly useful are:
• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Wills
• Records of employment
• Pension payments
• Educational and professional qualifications
• Military service papers.
Check out heirlooms such as bibles, too, as people often recorded family trees on the inside cover.
Photo albums are another great source of information. If possible, write people’s names in pencil on the back. If you can borrow the photos, you could scan them into your computer, or have someone do it for you – see UK Online. A picture really brings your family tree to life.
Draw your family tree
Armed with this information, you can now start drawing your family tree – or simply fill in the chart that you can download here:
• Write your name and date of birth in the bottom half of a blank sheet of paper
• If you’re married, put your husband/wife next to you, linked with an 'm'
• Below you, write the names of any children, connected to you by a line, and their children below them
• Above you, write the names of your parents, and above them their parents, and so on
• Show dates of birth and death
