Where to start . . .

There is a wealth of rescources on the internet which is growing by the day, but the way to go about it is to GET ORGANISED!

Despite all the electronic information you can access you will still generate an enormous amount of written information, so ring binders for each family are essential, along with files for birth/marriage/death certificates and census returns. There are plenty of custom-made files from the many genealogical suppliers which have sprung up over the years, but in reality you can make do with (much cheaper) standard binders from the stationers' shop.

The key to successful research is not to believe ANYTHING which has been written down without checking the source - there is not much point in constructing a family tree based on supposition and heresay. Do not take anything at face value - particularly family trees posted on the internet, or those which have come from family sources.

It is human nature to think that anything that appears in print must be true, but be suspicious of anything that does not carry a confirmed source. Of course the further back you go the less material there is available, but that is what makes the hobby so appealing - you never really know what may be lying round the next corner.

Firstly, decide which line of the family you want to start your research with and begin by making some inquires of parents, grandparents or other relatives.

You will find some very useful starting information from these sources but BEWARE, you are relying on people's memories and anecdotes which have been handed down a couple of generations. You will need to establish the facts as a final proof for your records. I can illustrate this from my own research - my dad (born 1910) told me he thought his grandfather's name was Roger. He had died some 29 years before my dad was born so obviously family memories of him were limited. After months of fruitless research I finally discovered in the Census records that my dad's grandfather was in fact Henry and that Roger was the lodger!

Family photographs can prove to be a goldmine when you first start your research. Some have been very well captioned and contain a wealth of information, but the majority, sadly are thrown into a box or album with little or no written information to accompany them. More on photographs in later blogs.

So, having established a starting point, what next?

The easiest way to search for your ancestors in on the internet and there are a myriad of resources available: It is easy to get confused by the sheer volume of material but the following is a small but useful list of sites to visit:

www.genuki.org.uk/ GENUKI contains a comprehensive list of UK sources with a large structured tree of information.
http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ One of the premier genealogical sites with worldwide databases and family tree links.
www.cyndislist.com/ This contains more than 260,000 links to genealogical sites throughout the world - a massive source.
http://www.familysearch.org/ The database of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (The Mormons). Known as the 'IGI' it contains millions of records which can be used as a starting point for your research.
http://www.rootsweb.com/ Claims to be the internet's oldest and largest FREE genealogical community. Contains searchable databases and free Web space.
http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ A fantastic resource for birth/marriage/deaths from the commencement of civil registration in 1837. Also info on how to order certificates.
www.a2a.org.uk/ The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales dating from the eighth century until the present day. A huge resource, growing monthly.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/ A great user-friendly site containing a wealth of information for the family historian. Documents (pay per view) are downloadable.

More info on local sources in a later blog.

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit