Erma Springer tried to trace her family tree the wrong way!

Erma was eager to trace her family tree and wanted to get to the good stuff right away.

“My great uncle Harry starred in The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway”, she told me in an excited voice. “I want to start my research with him.”

“Sorry, but you can’t”, I replied. “You must start your research with Erma Springer”. She looked confused and kind of disappointed.

Pirates of Penzance></center></p><p><h4>Genealogy research begins with You</h4></p><p>You can probably sympathize with Erma. The thought of researching your family’s black sheep or broadway star seems a lot more alluring than little old you.</p><p>However, if you want to properly trace your family tree <span style=

you must start with yourself. It’s a fundamental rule of genealogy.

Getting started is easy!

Grab a pencil and a few blank sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. No high-tech tools are required to trace your family tree. In the upper-right hand corner of that sheet of paper write your complete name (nicknames too) and the date you created this record. Remember to write your name in full, even if everyone just calls you "Butch Smith".

On the same sheet of paper, record your vital statistics. These are the basic building blocks of genealogy research. They include:

birth date

birthplace

parent’s names

spouse

marriage date and place

names of children

You have successfully completed your first family tree form!

Start a family tree form for Mom and Dad

Its time to call your parents and repeat the process you started for yourself. Here are some important considerations:

Note all maiden names

Gather biographical details (i.e. what did grandpa do for a living? What did great grandma look like?)

Don’t be pushy! Respect grandpa's wish not to talk about certain topics.

Expand your circle – interview your aunts and uncles too!

Grandma or grandpa may not know the answers to all of your questions. Expand your search to include aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and even neighbours.

Don’t believe everything you hear!

Every family has stories that have been passed down through the generations. As my good friend Erma Springer discovered, her great uncle Harry did not star on Broadway in The Pirates of Penzance. He just appeared in church plays as a pirate.

Most family stories contain a nugget of truth. Your job is to accumulate enough evidence to prove or disprove them.

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