Yourself and family sources

IT IS ironic that the more dispersed and disassociated from family and home we become, the greater appears to be our need to know who we are and where we come from. Genealogy is becoming more and more popular as a leisure-time pursuit, as people dig deep in their search for ancestors.

Accessing the past

• Official records
• Emigration
• Surnames
• The Internet
  

The good news is that tracing your roots is now a real possibility. The computerisation of records and the ease of internet access mean that it is now much easier to search family background. You will need a bit of help, a lot of time and a smidgen of luck, but it’s well worth the effort.

Before dipping your toes in your family’s gene pool and venturing into the stormy water that is genealogical research you need to break down your search into five potential areas:

Yourself and family sources

Starting out can be daunting, but in this great information treasure hunt you already hold the first clue: Dig out your birth certificate. Most certificates will include your parents' names, place of birth and occupation, date and place of parents' marriage. Your birth certificate should lead to your parents' marriage certificate, which will give you the name and occupation of your grandparents. This will help lead to your grandparents' death certificate, which will give you their address at the time of death and the name and occupation of your great-grandparents.

Family history

Talk to your oldest living relatives and ask them about what they know. Jot down any family stories. Some of what they tell you could be nonsense, but hidden in the half-truths there could be information that will help in your search.

Look through the family bible

People often noted down important dates on the fly-cover of the family bible. Old memorial cards and other interesting family records may also be tucked inside.

Do you already have a family tree? If so, then use it, but remember that it may not be accurate. If you don’t already have a family tree, then you will need to construct one and note down all relatives as you find them.

Family documentation

Collect everything that you can. Useful sources include: old school reports, apprenticeship papers, graduation papers, society/club membership papers, pension books, diaries, military service records, scrapbooks, letters, newspaper cuttings, trade union cards and photo albums