Your Family Tree - The Beginning of Your Genealogy Family Tree - Where Should You Start? And Why

If you are planning to start to build your familywould be a great gift for your grandchildren,
tree for your family, you are likely very excitedparticularly as you are likely going to be able to
at the possibilities about finding details of youradd photographs, copies of ship arrivals, maps of
long-last uncle, or the side of the family you knowwhere they lived, and more. How exciting! Much
very little about, or how those 2nd cousins aremore than a photograph album, your family tree
related to you. Genealogy is a fascinating hobby,would include details of their daily lives growing up
and luckily, is generally very cheap as well, soin various regions, occupations, travels, and the
enjoy your searches!historical context of their lives.
But if you are like many people, you probably4. You as the Final Descendant.
wonder where you should start. Perhaps you alsoSome individuals want to start with themselves
wonder if you should start with your parents andand work backwards in time through their
work forwards through their children to the latestancestors for up to 5-7 generations if possible.
relatives. Or, should you start with your childrenNote you will have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8
and work backwards in time through ancestors ingreat-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents,
the past? There are good reasons for doingand 32 great-great-great-grandparents! That is
either of those two options, or other options asassuming there are no divorces or early deaths
well. Here are some ideas to guide you as youwith 2nd marriages, as well. To help keep track of
begin.their ancestors, you may wish to track your
1. Why and for what purpose?Think first aboutancestors through 4 specific family lines (your
why you are wanting to begin researching yourgrandparents' surnames). This will give you four
family tree. For yourself - so that you understandfamily trees to research, and to write about. Each
more about your father's family, or how and whysurname could have their own "book" about
your ancestors came over to Canada? Or,where they originated, with details of each
perhaps you simply want to let your children andgeneration down through the family. Four "books"
grandchildren know something about your parentsjoined together could make one family genealogy.
and grandparents and their early lives around theThe bare bones details could be written out in a
turn of the century. Some individuals want tofamily tree poster, to be given to current
keep track in one place of all the cousins and livingrelatives.
relatives in order to have a big family reunion5. One Gigantic Tree -?
once a year. Others want to set up a familyOthers who research their family tree, find that
reunion of all the ancestors in one family surnamethey like to keep everything together in one
line only - perhaps because an ancestor was anfamily tree, with all the aunts and uncles, their
important politician or celebrity, or because anparents, their children, cousins, and more. All one
early ancestor immigrated to Canada in the 1600s!gigantic family tree of relatives! If you wish to do
There could be many very personal reasons tothis, then start with yourself as the #1 person in
build a family tree. Think carefully about yourthe tree, add the details of your marriage and
reasons, and let those guide your research.children to living relatives in the present. Then
2. You as the #1 Ancestor!start working backwards through the family lines.
If you start with yourself as an ancestor and addIn this instance, you will not just be looking at
forwards to the present time of all livingdirect ancestors in one line, you will be searching
descendants: you then have a family tree of onlyfor all the brothers and sisters of each ancestor,
yourself, your spouse(s), your children, and yourand their children, into the present time. Such a
grandchildren. With photographs, records, mapssearch will sometimes help you find "missing"
and other momentoes, you could build a verycousins or relatives, as I did when I found 2
interesting scrapbook for your grandchildren of lifefirst-cousins, lost for over 40 years! Or you may
as you were growing up. You could add favouritesee very specific naming patterns in one line of
music, what you liked to do for fun, games tothe family. Or you may see that one family line
play in the evenings, details of your first jobstends to have only boys, or they tend to all be
(wages: 25 cents/hour!), and other interesting bitstravellers or musicians. There are fascinating
of information. This would provide a snapshot forpatterns that may come to light with the One
your family only.Gigantic Tree approach to family tree research.
3. Your Grandparents' tree of descendants.Hopefully you will find these several ideas helpful
If you started with your grandparents (4as you begin to build a family tree. These days,
individuals) and work forwards to the presentmuch information is available for free on the
time, you would be able to add very interestinginternet, and family tree software is also freely
information on the grandparents' lives and timesavailable. Whatever you decide to do, remember
they lived in. Wars, immigration, occupations,that once you have begun to research, keep your
inventions - there is much detail available to addfindings well-documented so you can share
to this kind of family tree. Since you start withinformation with authority. And, write out your
your grandparents, then for your grandchildren,information so that others can enjoy the exciting
the tree will include 5 generations in time. Thisfinds you have made in your family tree research!