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Every Family Has to Start Somewhere

Creating a family tree has become an addictive hobby for millions around the world. It continues to grow every year as people ask, "who were my ancestors and where did they come from?" Wading into the genealogy pool can be overwhelming at first, but once the basics are learned, it becomes easier.

The first step to create a family tree is to write down what you already know. For each individual, record their date of birth, marriage and death. Dates can be recorded in the format mm/dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy or yyyy/mm/dd. Once a format is chosen, use it consistently throughout your notes and organized material.

Although some prefer to use numbers for months, I recommend that the first three letters be used instead. This will eliminate any confusion between dates. I also suggest using the complete four digits for years for the same reason. For example, if a date is recorded as 08/05/48, it could easily be mistaken for May 5, 1748 instead of August 5, 1848.

When recording names, record the complete official name. If a person went by their middle name, the order of the names does not change. Indicate the middle name was used by either placing single quotation marks ( ' ) around the used name or by typing it in italics. If nicknames were used, they can be recorded in the same manner or in the notes section.

Along with the dates of important life events, the location they occurred should also be recorded. When recording locations, be specific. Record the name of the building (if known: home, church, hospital, etc.), the community, county, province/state and country. Although you may know you are talking about Milford, Massachusetts, USA, others might think you are talking about Milford, Ontario, Canada or Milford, Connecticut, USA or Milford, Nova Scotia, Canada.

List children with their parents in the order they were born. Record their vital statistics (birth/marriage/death) information in the same manner as their parents.

Once you have exhausted the information at hand, organize what you have. At this point, some decide to use a genealogy program to sort their information. There are several available, some being more complicated than others.

A simple method to organize information is by using charts and forms. Pedigree, family group and generation charts are some of the basic forms and charts used. The Family Tree Magazine website (http://www.familytreemagazine .com/forms/download.html#) and the Duane and Mary Bailey's Free Genealogy Forms

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