| If you are asking this question "How do I go | | | | careful guidelines for how to complete a proper |
| about tracing my ancestors?", you are clearly a | | | | citation. |
| beginner in genealogy, starting on a fascinating | | | | Move on up through your family tree, adding your |
| adventure to build your family tree. Here are eight | | | | parents and their siblings (brothers and sisters). |
| guidelines to help you begin tracing your | | | | Check with your cousins for their details, photos, |
| ancestors, including common myths and | | | | momentos, and more. Share the genealogy |
| assumptions, plus tips on the pitfalls and | | | | treasure! |
| possibilities of family tree ancestors on the | | | | Avoid online sites for your family tree:Do NOT |
| Internet. | | | | put your family tree online until you have learned |
| Spelling:Until approximately the mid-1850s, spelling | | | | more about how privacy is maintained with online |
| was interesting, variable, phonetic, unusual, and | | | | trees. Frequently your individuals can still be |
| sometimes did not seem logical at all! Search for | | | | searched for, and it can be quite easy to find |
| your ancestors under all the possible variable | | | | living relatives online. As a general rule of thumb, |
| spellings you can imagine. | | | | avoid building online family trees until you have |
| It is a common myth, by the way, that | | | | taken some genealogy classes, and/or joined a |
| ancestors' surnames were spelled differently and | | | | Genealogical Society and discussed this privacy |
| incorrectly by the immigration clerks - in fact, | | | | issue with more knowledgeable persons. As well, |
| surnames were written by clerks in the original | | | | do not add your own personal notes to your |
| country who were very likely to know and | | | | trees if you are planning to share them with your |
| recognize the language and names. If families | | | | family members including cousins and all other |
| decided to change their names, however, the | | | | extended family members. You could definitely |
| simplest time for them to make this happen was | | | | upset some of your relatives with your |
| at the point of immigration. | | | | revelations about the adopted cousin, or the great |
| Dates:Unless a document was written at the time | | | | uncle who was in prison, or the periodic mental |
| of an event, the dates are suspect. So, a birth | | | | illness of a grandparent. |
| registration is likely to have the correct birth date | | | | Family stories: |
| - but a death registration is likely to have an | | | | Add more depth to your family trees with the |
| incorrect birth date. A ship's passenger list (made | | | | family stories of how Grampa used to be a |
| out at the port of departure) is likely to have the | | | | blacksmith in Manitoba or, the story of how your |
| correct date of departure and arrivals, but not | | | | mom and dad met and married or, the incredible |
| necessarily the correct spelling, names, | | | | vacation you had one summer all the way to the |
| relationships, dates, addresses, etc. | | | | Yukon and back. These stories will fit into a family |
| Another point about dates: Our ancestors did not | | | | history one day when you are ready to take that |
| find themselves filling out official forms as | | | | step with your family tree. Researching family |
| frequently as we do in our lifetimes, therefore | | | | history can be tremendously rewarding; you may |
| they could easily mis-remember the exact date | | | | eventually find letters or drawings, momentos |
| of their birth, their immigration, naturalization | | | | with engraved messages, photographs with dates |
| papers, and mis-remember their children's exact | | | | and names, wedding invitations from the 1800s, |
| birth dates. | | | | and more. Add what you have found, but check |
| One more point about dates (and names): Your | | | | with the living relatives for permission to make |
| ancestor may have deliberately changed his or | | | | the details public. Also, family stories will give you |
| her name or birth date for a specific purpose: to | | | | more clues for further research back in time. |
| be old enough to enlist to fight in a war, or old | | | | Other people's family trees online:Until you find out |
| enough to get married without adult permission, | | | | that an online tree is detailed by one of your |
| or change their name to a simpler more | | | | relatives, and has documents to support the |
| "new-country" name to blend in with their | | | | various details, do NOT copy other people's |
| neighbors. Or for many other potential purposes. | | | | information or other people's family trees. Once |
| The Family Bible: | | | | you have learned how to prove a relationship and |
| Check to see if there have been different | | | | dates/details, you may be more capable of |
| individuals writing down the entries of births, | | | | evaluating the accuracy of the tree, and may |
| marriages, deaths. If so, then you likely have very | | | | decide to merge other people's family trees with |
| high-quality information for your family tree. On | | | | your family tree. Do not rush this learning period - |
| the other hand, if there is only one hand which | | | | online family trees are not a good short-cut! |
| has written down the entire list of entries | | | | Unfortunately, many are copied from other |
| spanning several generations, the information has | | | | people's unsupported information. Avoid them for |
| been copied at some point in time, or entered | | | | now. |
| based on some unknown sources. Therefore, | | | | Family Tree Software: |
| those entries will not be considered as accurate | | | | You do not need to purchase family tree |
| and high quality. Use the information with caution, | | | | software programs; several free programs may |
| as you build your family tree. | | | | be downloaded from several sources. Check on |
| Begin at the beginning: | | | | and search for free family tree software |
| Start with yourself as the first person, and enter | | | | programs which are available online, and are easy |
| all the information you have on your full name, | | | | to use. Once you have your ancestors in one |
| and life events with dates and places. Add the | | | | program, it is relatively easy to save it in a form |
| documents or items which provide the proof of | | | | for sharing, or for using in any other program. |
| your events: birth certificate, education report | | | | Enjoy your adventure as you trace your |
| cards, graduation details and diplomas, passports, | | | | genealogy, and find your ancestors. Building your |
| marriage registrations, travel details (tickets, dated | | | | family tree can be tremendous fun and can be |
| snapshots, for example). Writing down the | | | | very rewarding. Do not forget to share your |
| sources of your information is termed "citing a | | | | findings with your relatives! |
| source". Family tree programs often provide | | | | |