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From a seed to your Tree

One of the most satisfying ways to view all your hard work that you've already accomplished by tracing your ancestors, is to build a family tree to present each generation in relation to the next. Its the best way of organising the data you have uncovered and is essentially a map of your roots. You can see at a glance how people in your family are related to one another and it will provide a clear path to the areas that need further investigation.

 

Your tree should be kept up to date, which is why a computer version ready to go to print is far more favourable than the old fashioned way of drawing up the tree whenever an addition comes along as mistakes will end up bringing the hardened Tipex bottle out the drawer.

So today is the day to build your first family tree, what do I need to do to get it off to a good start? Well you will need to gather all your evidence together, including certificates, notes and photos. Chances are you've read the article already on how to interview your relatives

 

All trees have to start somewhere and with one surname. Make sure that you keep in mind possible alternate spellings of your surname at this point. You have probably already found that one stands out above others. Or you may want to naturally start the tree from you as a starting point. It’s important to focus on this and stick with the decision as it will enable you to keep your research on track, and reduces the chance of missing important details due to confusion.

 

As the family tree grows in size, you will find you will need to add information from other sources including of course the internet. On-line there are several great web sites to help you move the tree further along such as searchable databases, message boards, and news clippings and census records.

 

Once your tree has fully grown as far as you can manage, you may have uncovered enough information to start another from a different surname. Somewhere along the line the trees will meet.

 

For on-line trees or trees built on your computer using family tree software they have a further advantage as they enable you to have several views. A pedigree view, a standard tree from the roots up and a circular view which looks more like an arrangement for an orchestra

 

Building a family tree may take several projects over a period of time. With this in mind we have put together some easy to follow articles that will help you get enough information to build an huge oak tree rather than a small sapling

 

 

Useful links

 

Planning a Family Reunion

One of the great advantages of researching your family history is that it can bring you closer to your living relatives. It can help you to understand the lives of those who are older than you, give you something in common to discuss with distant cousins..more on arranging family reunions.....

 

How to Interview relatives

It may not seem a particularly important project, surely just sitting down and chatting is all that is required? Not so, you may be surprised with how different and successful the time can prove with some practical preparation before hand. ....Interviewing your relatives