| The interest in genealogy and family history | | | | children, with provision for dates like birth, death |
| research has exploded over the last 15 years or | | | | & marriage). You can fill these out yourself or you |
| so. People are discovering that it can be an | | | | may even email or mail them to relatives and get |
| interesting and fun activity or hobby. The | | | | them to do it for you. |
| availability of information on the internet continues | | | | Step 2 - Get Genealogy Software |
| to rise at an amazing rate. More and more | | | | Genealogy software is an absolute must have |
| information previously stored in the archives is | | | | tool, which will make it easy for you to record |
| being made available for the hungry public. Some | | | | and document the information that you have. You |
| of this information is free, but a lot of it attracts | | | | can get free software like Personal Ancestral File |
| a fee, so it is becoming a huge business, and is | | | | to get you started, or you may not mind paying |
| likely to continue to grow in the coming years. | | | | a few dollars, in which case software like Family |
| Often the decision to get involved in finding your | | | | Tree Maker is very good. Next you will need to |
| ancestors and documenting your family history | | | | install your software, and make a start on |
| comes when we lose a parent or grandparent or | | | | entering all the information you have collected |
| both! Let me tell you it is better to make a start | | | | from the Family Group Sheets. It is a good idea |
| while they are alive and able to assist you. Once | | | | to record the source of your information, I know |
| they are gone, it is a real tragedy if you have not | | | | that Family Tree Maker has provision for this. |
| recorded the valuable family history that they | | | | Step 3 - Visit a cemetery! |
| have stored in their memories. You will also find | | | | If you know that many of your ancestors are |
| that elderly relatives will be delighted to offer their | | | | buried in the local cemetery, take a walk through |
| assistance as it gives them the great opportunity | | | | it, to see if you can find some familiar names. |
| to reminisce on a bygone era. | | | | You often find that families did not travel very |
| Step 1 - Interview Family and Friends and Record | | | | far in the old days and that is why you may find |
| it | | | | a lot of interesting information just by visiting a |
| I guess I have already began to mention this | | | | few cemeteries. |
| above in my introduction, but it is to get a hold of | | | | If you do not like visiting cemeteries, you may |
| your elderly parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties | | | | find information online, as more and more |
| and friends and interview them in great detail | | | | information is becoming available on who is buried |
| about your ancestors and how things were when | | | | where on the internet. Some even includes |
| they were young. It may even be a good idea to | | | | headstone transcriptions! |
| use audio or video equipment to make a proper | | | | Anyway, I hope that I have provided a useful |
| recording of this interview. Get out old photos, | | | | guide for you to make a great start to your |
| documents or letters to help jolt their memories, | | | | family history and genealogy search. This is a |
| and find out if they have any such items that | | | | wonderful pastime and once you get your teeth |
| may also assist. If they have birth, death and | | | | into searching for your ancestors, you will not |
| marriage certificates, find out if you can get | | | | want to stop! |
| copies! | | | | I will look at the Online search options, in a future |
| I highly recommend that you use a tool called a | | | | article. |
| "Family Group Sheet" to record actual details of a | | | | If you want further information please go to my |
| particular family group (father, mother and | | | | link at the bottom of this page. |