Page 17 - Gen Mag Online November 2020

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You can do this in two ways - either ask them to fill in a form (eg a blank family group sheet) or simply
talk to them and record the information as you go. The latter method often elicits more information
because people like to talk about themselves generally and by listening intently you could pick up a
nugget of information which could help you track down an elusive individual or even a whole family
you never knew existed.

Once you have been to see as many relatives as possible and
recorded the information you need to build a family tree, it is
time to draw a simple family tree. Again using a genealogy
Get in the habit of when program such as Roots or Legacy Family Tree, these programs
recording information in a will neatly chart the information you have inputted. Moreover,
notebook or some other they will also be able to check any mistakes you have made
recording device that you date while inputting the data. You will be surprised how many you
the time of collection of the make, irrespective of how meticulous you are. An example of
source material and the name a drop down tree is on page 13.
of the source. It is amazing
how often you forget to do this If you are not used to using such programs or don’t want to
only to have to go back and spend money (they are relatively cheap these days), then
research the same information physically drawing a tree is your only option. However, at this
again. point you should also be asking yourself a fundamental question.

Genealogy and family history is an absorbing hobby, but it is also something that could have you
swamped in a lot of information very quickly. So, you need to ask what you want to find out. Are
you wanting to know about every single ancestor as far as possible, or are you more interested in
finding about about just one line - your father’s ancestry or your mother’s line?

Perhaps you are interested in just one surname? One name studies are very common. They only
focus on one surname. If this is something that appeals rather than trying to do every ancestor -
although there is nothing to stop you doing that as well - then the first thing to do is see whether
anyone has already researched this particular surname.

The Guild of One Name Studies produces a list of all the surnames which
have been registered with the organisation. To find out more about this
organisation and how to join and what it does please visit
http://one-name.org/
There are a
You might also find the following website useful as well, since it is a list of number of one
names which are registered with the Guild of One Name Studies: name family
http://one-name.org/surnames_a-z/ history societies
which you may
If your surname isn’t registered it doesn’t mean no one is researching the same find useful
surname as you. It may well be that it simply hasn’t been registered with the whether or not
Guild. However if it isn’t mentioned it might be an idea to start your own society.
you embark of
It may also be case that the person who initially registered the name is no researching just
longer alive. One of my own surnames for instance is Talbot. There was a your own
Talbot Society, and may well be still, but it doesn’t appear to be listed on the surname.
Guild site now.

In the near future There will be a basic guide to researching your British Isle ancestry
available to download for free. Keep returning the Gen Mag Online website for updates.