| Researching information about your family's | | | | plan to do detailed research about your family |
| history can be fun and exciting. You do not have | | | | tree. |
| to hire someone else to do it. You can do it | | | | When you start your family history research, it is |
| yourself using what is freely available online and | | | | important that you use primary source material |
| other sources provided by the government. Many | | | | such as records of birth, marriage and death. This |
| people don't know the history of their family and | | | | information will allow you to check, verify and |
| they would love an opportunity to find out where | | | | document your family tree using reliable sources. |
| they came from and to discover their family tree. | | | | Documents such as certificates of marriage, birth |
| Here are some tips to help you get started. | | | | and death contain useful information that will allow |
| When researching family records you are basically | | | | you to trace back your family line. |
| looking at some kind of official records for births, | | | | There are various ways of obtaining these |
| marriages, deaths and other major events which | | | | certificates depending on the country and the life |
| your family may have kept records about. The | | | | event. The government website |
| UK government started civil registrations in the | | | | Familyrecords.gov.uk provides detailed information |
| late 1830s so you can find records of births, | | | | on how to obtain certificates for births, marriages |
| marriages and deaths. To find family records | | | | or death in England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland |
| before 1830, you need to look at Parish or | | | | India and related countries. |
| Religious records. Parish registers and records | | | | If you're only interested in doing some basic |
| from different faiths are the key sources of | | | | research about your family there are other |
| information and records of "life events" such as | | | | websites that can provide such information for a |
| births, baptisms, marriages and burials before the | | | | nominal fee. You can also visit the UK National |
| advent of civil registration. | | | | archives website to start your research. |
| The UK official source for family records | | | | Researching family history online is fast becoming |
| information is familyrecords.gov.uk. Depending on | | | | a hobby for many people. They are fascinated to |
| how far back you want to go, your search can | | | | find out who they are and where they come |
| be quite simple. Start by interviewing older family | | | | from. Some of the information that you may find |
| members and relatives to get some basic | | | | can be quite shocking and interesting. Remember |
| information about your family. The government | | | | there are many tools online that you can use to |
| website mentioned above can help you get | | | | help you find what you're looking for. You just |
| started and also show you where to start | | | | have to know where to look. |
| searching from. It is an excellent resource if you | | | | |