Getting Started


When we start researching our family history it can be for all sorts of reasons. Some people hope to find someone famous in their family tree, others hope to find the infamous. Maybe, like most of us, you just want to get to know the people that made you the way you are. What ever your reason just remember that everyone had a part to play, large or small, and you could just get ‘hooked’ by this hobby like so many others.

If your parents or grandparents have birth, marriage or death certificates, ask if they will let you take a photocopy, as they contain a great deal of information and will save time and money later on. It’s also a good idea to see if they have any old photos, family Bibles (which often contain family information), old books, heirlooms and stories. Don’t forget that your parents and grandparents will remember their parents’ details and possibly their grandparents’ as well, if you’re lucky.

Family history is not just about getting as many names and dates on a family tree as you can, it’s also about finding out how our ancestors lived in the social climate that prevailed at the time. We take so many things for granted today, like the health service, unemployment benefit, good roads and even air travel, were not available years ago. Even going to school was considered a luxury in the 19th century, when children were required to work to help out with the family budget. Children caught offending in the 19th century were treated very harshly, as there was no distinction between adult or child crime. Young boys and girls could be sent to adult prison, transported abroad, flogged or even sentenced to death.

Eventually you will acquire a lot of information that will need to be put in some kind of order. You can draw a simple family tree on paper, perhaps adding a photograph (or copy) next to the person’s details. You could buy a scrapbook and allocate a page or two to different family members, giving brief details of their life and achievements. You could include pictures of them and perhaps other interesting items such as newspaper cuttings, special birthday cards, photocopies of certificates of achievements. You could make this really exciting by adding wrapping paper as a background or adding decorations such as sequins, stickers or other items to decorate the pages. If you want to really manage your family tree well you could use a computer program specially designed for family historians. You will be able to print off your family tree in all sorts of ways. Some programs allow you to add pictures and even publish your own book or website.

They are often available to view on microfilm or microfiche at local record offices, but some pay-to-view websites are indexing these censuses and putting digitised images of the original documents online. The latest census you can view is the 1901 Census, as censuses are closed for 100 years.

The internet has a lot of information available but make sure you use a recommended source such as The National Archives’ website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk or The Federation of Family History Societies at www.ffhs.org.uk or Society of Genealogists at www.sog.org.uk. There are many pay-to-view websites available now that allow you to search the indexes free and then pay a small fee to look at a digital image of the original document. This can save you time travelling as well as the cost. Some people however, prefer to travel to the areas in which their ancestors lived in, to get a feel for the environment they lived in, and check out the records locally at the relevant record office.

Which ever way you choose to go on your voyage of discovery it will be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Family Tree Magazine and Practical Family History can help you take those early steps and then guide you through the available records.

www.family-tree.co.uk