Starting your family tree

Barry Leadbeater

How to get started on building your family tree from scratch - a step by step guide for beginners.

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.

  1. If you are (or have been) married, record the details of any historically significant events in your married life, and
  2. Record the details from your marriage certificate.
  3. Record the details of any historically significant events in your single life.
  4. Be sure to include any migration details.
  5. Record the details from your birth and baptism certificates including the names of your parents.
  6. Make sure that you also record the source of each item of your information.
    See our article on source accuracy.

Step 2: Your parents

  1. If they are deceased, record the details from their death certificates and any obituaries.
  2. Record the details of events in your parents' married lives.
  3. Record the details from their marriage certificate.
  4. Record the details of events in their single lives.
  5. Be sure to include any migration details.
  6. Record the details from their baptism and birth certificates including the names of their parents (your grandparents).
  7. If still living, interview your parents to obtain extra events and more details.
  8. Ask them about their parents (your grandparents).
  9. Interview their living siblings (your aunts & uncles) for more information.

Step 3: Earlier generations

  1. If deceased, record the details from their death certificates and obituaries.
  2. Record the details of events in their married lives.
  3. Record the details from their marriage certificate.
  4. Record the details of events in their single lives.
  5. Be sure to include any migration details.
  6. Record the details from their baptism and birth certificates including the names of their parents.
  7. Check other documents such as a family bible for relevant information.
  8. Interview relatives to obtain extra events and more details.
  9. 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


Worldwide resources