Begin with what you already know. Start by plotting your family tree on a sheet of paper – beginning with you and working backwards as many generations as you can. Keep in mind the following suggestions and you will soon flesh out your family history.
- Always start with yourself and move backwards. Some people make the mistake of selecting a person from history and forcing the fit forward in time – only to find themselves horribly lost as they trudge through historical records that do not pertain to their family at all.
- Capture information about all your siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and beyond. Don't forget about deceased individuals (including stillborn children or relatives who perished in the First or Second World War). Multiple marriages, too, present different branches of families with step-siblings and step-parents.
- Add birth, marriage and death dates (where applicable) for each person. If in doubt, ask a parent or grandparent. You may even want to videotape or audiotape an interview with a senior family member to capture stories about your family's past. These tapes, too, are wonderful ways to capture a person's voice or physical presence for future generations.
- Consult a surname dictionary (available in most reference sections at public libraries) to see if there is any information available about the family name you are researching. Be prepared for a variety of spellings since surnames have changed significantly over time. In English history, for instance, surnames were not required until the 14th century (although there were some surnames recorded in the Domesday Book, compiled by William the Conqueror nearly 1,000 years ago – it was the first great census). As surnames became mandatory, families began to define themselves by such things as geography (Hill, Rivers or Woods), occupation (Sawyer, Cooper or Miller) or physical attribute (Stout, Moody or Sterne). Some surnames have their origins in specific locations, too. For instance, a specific spelling of surname may be indigenous to Northern Ireland and nowhere else. All this data will help you clarify where your people come from.
- Note surname changes and approximate dates when these changes occurred (e.g. Smyth may have become Smith during emigration). Unfortunately, women in history often get lost in genealogy because once they were married, their surnames changed – and their identities became intertwined with their spouse's. And their identities become further complicated when they remarry. Surnames have also changed throughout the past for specific ethnic groups. For instance, Jewish family history and Black American genealogy are considerably more challenging given the migration of individuals and families throughout the past – especially considering the events that have shaped these histories.
- Note any blanks in your records. These "holes" will become the basis for your future research. Your "to do" list will grow as you shake more people out of your family tree.