Building your own Family Tree

If you are computerized, there are many websites offering complete services. Genealogy.com is a full line source. They will start you off with a 14-day free trial service to see if you want to continue. They have prices based on what you want to buy. They have software to make drawing up your own tree very easy.

NARA (US National Archives & Records Administration) is a government website and they have loads of great database information at your disposal. That means they don't charge for the use.

You must start your family tree with a blank piece of paper. Draw branches as you know names and dates. Of course, it is easier on the computer but you can tape your pieces of paper together as you data is collected.

You can also go to your local computer store and buy a program to suit your needs. At Genealogy.com, they offer a Home Page service where you can set up your findings to share with family and friends. They have Data Collections to start your researching and a complete how-to guide. A quick visit will give you lots of on-line tips to get you going even if you don't sign up with their service. It will just depend on what you are needing. When I was looking to find out about my dad's VA discharge paperwork, I called the city courthouse clerk's office and was told quickly that there were no papers filed there. Turned out that they were lost in Saint Louis, MO back when a major fire destroyed almost all the files. Then I find out that his file was already established in the Waco, Texas office for a loan years before. You just never know what you will find.

The best place to start is to write down everything you already know about your family and all the relatives. Make notes about the approximate dates and time periods. As you find that you are needing to fill in the blanks, make a list of who might know and how you will contact them.

When you are referred to a more distant relative, have someone closer to them who knows you both to call and introduce you and explain what you are asking. Some information can be gathered by a phone call and some situations are best handled by a visit in person. Make sure they know you will be bringing a recorder or notepad to get their answers down just right.

As you've made your list, ask the questions of those kin you do know. As them each for any additional info to add to your accounts of ancestors. Ask for dates and places of births and you may be surprised at the tidbits you can receive along the way. Always make notes and do not trust your own memory.

Even if you are going to do all the work yourself, visit the online websites that offer services. I went back to Genealogy.com and read through all the items listed on Ask the Expert. A long list of items recorded and questions asked. You are given a search to find some things but this list is very long on a broad range of subjects and names. Lots of other people are looking and you may have the answers to their questions as well. One listing mentions the change in the spelling of some names and it made me remember noticing in mom's mother's old family Bible where she had changed the spelling of granddad's first name. Just all of the sudden, she changed from Bertram to Bertrum. Keep your own notes for when someone of a younger generation comes to you for your notes and help.

I am sure that part of the service will be to add your own information to the data base but do read up on the privacy rules for their site. You might just want to be notified when more knowledge is gained about your requests. While you feel unsure of your new skills, read over the "Learning Center." There are lots of titles to give the interested person an area to start. I didn't look through the Message Boards or "Twigs and Trees" but there is certainly lots of good data to be looked through.

Do you have that notebook out yet for writing down what you learn? Make a special place for your notes and decide on how you want to proceed. Just start. You can go through the websites for free; it will help you decide how much money you want to invest on the learning adventure.

As you gather what others have to say about your family members, make a note if it is merely "gossip" since it may turn out to be true. Most data cannot be confirmed but keep it as a treasure. It will be important to give credit for where you gained the knowledge. If you have recorded an interview, you will notice the laughter or change in their voice. These things won't be in written notes and may be important. Save all of your tapes for future needs. Always ask if the family member has written a biography and if so, can you have a copy or at least read it over. The same goes for Diaries, Journals and Family Bibles and Photo Albums. You don't need a talent for writing, you just need to write down all the facts you acquire.

Some "Genealogists" say to write down every little thing about your life. Personally, I would like to not pass on how mean a big sister I was to my 5 years younger brother. I would rather record things about my mother and how she worked for years at a sewing factory, making uniforms for war time. How she wouldn't teach me anything about sewing but 4 years of HomeEc in high school taught me plenty. Tidbits. Trivia worth saving for the interest of others on down the line.

Remember that you cannot research the long past data records until you finish contacting those people yet living to gain what they can offer. Get lots of dates even if they are approximate, get names and make lists then go to the websites and start combing. Be prepared to spend the time and read through lengthy articles. It will be time well worth spending; time you can spend at your leisure when you have the hours to spare since the Internet is a 24/7 operation.

Keep in mind that Genealogy is much more than finding out why you have brown eyes and straight hair. I told my children that if they had any kids with red hair, remember that my dad's sister has beautiful dark red hair and it might well appear somewhere down the line. The search does not really end. Even now, I am forming a new list of ideas I want to check out, to see if I can find my dad's birth certificate and see what the "interesting" info really is. Folks of the past were very secretive indeed. I have never been even curious of the "other family" and knowing who they are. Things have a way of disappearing until someone who is interested comes along to save it.