National Genealogical Society | Getting Started Have you ever scaled a tree and sat enjoying the view? Well, get ready to climb. But this tree—and the view from it—will be the most fascinating you've ever seen. Linking generations, setting each in its unique historical perspective, brings them to life again for everyone. Look Around and Identify What You Know Begin at home. Contact family members to ask questions about their lives and those of other relatives. Listen to family stories and make notes. Record Your Information After collecting family information, it is important to record it correctly on forms referred to as family group sheets and ancestor charts. Prepare Yourself for Your Climb Before you begin your climb, you should have the right gear for the trip. Decide What You Want to Learn Pick an individual about whom your information is incomplete. Decide Which Records Will Be Most Helpful Your first step should be to obtain vital records if they exist. Census Records 1790–1930 The Courthouse Library Research NGS Book Loan Collection
The Key to Understanding Family Relationships (page 2) This can be demonstrated with an example. Suppose Relative A was the great great great grandchild of the common ancestor. Go across the first row until you get to the “3rd Great Grandchild”. You can see that Relative A is the 6th generation of the common ancestor. The 3rd great grandchild is in the sixth column. Now suppose Relative B was the great grandchild of the common ancestor. The point where the row and column cross determines the relationship between Relative A and Relative B. It can take a while to get use to this process. Another Approach There are alternate ways to understand family relationships. It is possible to determine the relationship between any two people by moving up and down as well as across a family tree diagram. One interesting point is that technically people do not have Great Aunts and Great Uncles but Grand Aunts and Grand Uncles. Some Additional Terms To assist you further, here are some additional terms that you may come across in your family tree research.
Scenic Roots Genealogy Research