How to start a family tree!

Last week, we didn’t do a blog because we introduced our first vlog! But now we’re back. 

The heart of what we do at Tangled adopts Research is building family trees. A lot of people choose to do this on their own. Others come to us for help. You don’t need a subscription to get started, just pen and paper. Start with you and your parents and all of your siblings. Then ask your parents who their parents were if you don’t know and add in aunts and uncles. Ask if there were siblings that died before you, or even they were born. If your grandparents are still living, ask them about their parents and siblings as well. If they have passed away, your parents may know at least their grandparents names even if they never met them. If you want to take this information to a website or a genealogist, birth and death years and locations will be very helpful. Asking indirect questions may yield more results. Instead of asking what year Nana was born, ask your mom how old she was when her Nana died and how old Nana was at that time.  Most people don’t know the exact year their grandparent was born, but connecting their death with life events could help you figure it out. If mom doesn’t remember how old she was when Papa died, was she still in school? Was it elementary or high school? Did she ever talk to him about her crush or were they playing with toys? Do they recall this person being present for milestone events like graduation, a wedding or the birth of a child? When our ancestors have common names like James, John, Mary, and Sarah; it’s very important to narrow down a location.  Maybe your family still lives in the area this ancestor passed or maybe someone remembers teasing them about where they were from. If you make it to this point, you’re off to a great start. Take a minute to pat yourself on the back, you’re doing awesome! You increase your chances of finding more information through a genealogist or online when you are thorough on the front end. If you are satisfied with the information you’ve gathered, you may choose to stop here. Whether you write this in a keepsake book or enter it into an online database, the information you’ve gathered will be a treasure for generations to come. With each loved one that passes away, a bit of history is lost. Capture all that you can now so that future generations know where they came from and who their ancestors were.

Always Searching,

The Tangled Roots Team

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