How to Make a Family Tree

How to Make a Family Tree

Many people want to start building their family tree and researching their family history, but they have no clue as to where to begin.

Here are our the top 7 things you need to know to get started on your family tree:

1. Collect the information you already have and search for more.

Search through drawers, closets, attics and basements. Ask your parents and grandparents for whatever information they may have. Talk to other relatives and let them know you are looking for any documents related to your family. Some relatives will know exactly where to look, while others may have to search. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll find. When visiting family, bring your smartphone or camera to photograph documents on the spot.  Your aunt may be delighted to show you her parents’ photograph album, but she may not trust you with handing it over completely. This is legitimate and the photograph will be good enough.

2. Discuss your project with your family.

They probably know more than you think. In addition to dates and facts, listen to the family stories. Don’t stop at your immediate family circle, but talk also to family friends. If your grandparents are alive, they will be happy to talk about their lives when they were young, and their own parents and grandparents. Make a list of open questions that cannot be answered with either “yes” or “no.” Genealogy is not only dates. Although you need facts to build a family tree, it’s a good idea to start with stories.

3. Start building your tree

Go to MyHeritage.com and create a profile with just your name, your parents and your grandparents. Then with the help of MyHeritage Smart Matching™, your tree will grow instantly. Smart Matching™ is a powerful technology that matches people that you have defined in your family tree with people in other family trees that members all over the world have created on MyHeritage.com. With billions of family tree profiles on MyHeritage, you have an excellent chance of getting Smart Matches™ that reveal valuable new information about your family. You can then review and save new information to your family tree as well as contact other family tree owners to find more connections and discover new relatives.

4. Continue to organize and backup your data.

Categorize and store the collected material properly in a safe place. To prevent loss of information, start building your family tree on MyHeritage, where you can easily share information with your family, and have them collaborate and never lose any data as it is all stored online.

5. Set a goal, but be flexible.

It is good set goals for your family history research but make sure to be flexible if you can’t reach that goal right away. Your family history is made up of a multitude of stories, and each discovery will help you piece it together. It helps to focus on a specific branch of your family tree and, if you get stuck, to try another branch. Don’t get discouraged. Patience is a huge part of genealogical research.

6. The Internet is your friend.

It’s easy and comfortable to research at home, and access a huge amount of data. Your devices – computer, smartphone, tablet – connect you to the larger genealogical world. MyHeritage SuperSearch has a large, accessible collection of historical records and family trees, making it a great place to jumpstart your research

7. Organize and backup. Again.

This is important enough to mention twice. Organize your papers and regularly back up your data on various media. Use flash drives, the Cloud, etc. Continue to add, to update, to organize your research. Without these steps, you may find yourself overwhelmed with information.

What tips have you found most helpful for getting started? Let us know in the comments below.

Comments

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  • Frank Klen

    January 14, 2016

    There are 2 things that I always do when it comes to family research.

    1st- When I interview family members I always use a micro recorder to record the interview because I want to get as many stories as possible and it is impossible to remember or write down the story and all the details. I also record the interview for the younger generation and the generation yet to be born, for when they get older instead of just looking at old photos of grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, and uncles they can listen to the interviews well looking at their photos.

    2nd- when I find family information, on the internet, that was done by someone else I never take it as fact and just copy the information. I use it as only a guide until I can research and confirm the information as fact. By doing this I found many mistakes in information belonging to other people. I don’t want mistakes in my research I want the truth backed up with facts. When I do find mistakes in information from other people I always let them know and show them the proof and they are thankful.

  • Charles

    January 19, 2016

    Concerning comment #2, Very well stated and correct. To many do just copy from other’s who have posted info on the different site’s & internet, no proof or documentation to back up their finding’s is ever shown when questioned.

    Some do appreciate being corrected with proof or documentation but some also take it as an insult to their research.

  • Spina

    June 18, 2017

    That is at pudding stone Frank G banell park. East shoe fishing dock