Starting your family tree
Barry Leadbeater
Step 1: Yourself
Begin with yourself in the present and work backwards in time through the past. Omit any steps that do not apply to you.
- If you are (or have been) married, record the details of any historically significant events in your married life, and
- Record the details from your marriage certificate.
- Record the details of any historically significant events in your single life.
- Be sure to include any migration details.
- Record the details from your birth and baptism certificates including the names of your parents.
- Make sure that you also record the source of each item of your information.
See our article on source accuracy.
Step 2: Your parents
- If they are deceased, record the details from their death certificates and any obituaries.
- Record the details of events in your parents' married lives.
- Record the details from their marriage certificate.
- Record the details of events in their single lives.
- Be sure to include any migration details.
- Record the details from their baptism and birth certificates including the names of their parents (your grandparents).
- If still living, interview your parents to obtain extra events and more details.
- Ask them about their parents (your grandparents).
- Interview their living siblings (your aunts & uncles) for more information.
Step 3: Earlier generations
- If deceased, record the details from their death certificates and obituaries.
- Record the details of events in their married lives.
- Record the details from their marriage certificate.
- Record the details of events in their single lives.
- Be sure to include any migration details.
- Record the details from their baptism and birth certificates including the names of their parents.
- Check other documents such as a family bible for relevant information.
- Interview relatives to obtain extra events and more details.
- Repeat steps i to viii for each previous generation.
Your family tree
The information you have gathered will allow you to begin creating your pedigree chart, something like:-
1.Yourself
|
|
2.Your father ------ = ------ 3.Your mother
| |
| |
4.Your -- = -- 5.Your 6.Your -- = -- 7.Your
father's father's mother's mother's
father mother father mother
South Australian resources
- State Library of South Australia
NE corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue
Adelaide SA 5000 - State Records of South Australia
Leigh Street
Adelaide SA 5000, and
115 Cavan Road
Gepps Cross SA 5094 - National Archives of Australia - SA Reading Room
78 Angas Street
Adelaide SA 5000 - Your local genealogy society or family history group
- Internet sites & other resources