Genealogy Chat

Because i have started my tree from scratch,(My mother died when i was a child) i have only reached great grandparents so far (on both sides). But i am getting confused as to who is married to who I'm putting maternal with paternal, would i be better following one line all the way back and then going on to the other side when i am done? i have two notebooks one for each side, but because the surnames are changing as i go back further i'm making mistakes. Also should i get great uncles/aunts and other distant rellies certs as well or do i bypass them?Thanks MOE!

Moe Firstly you need a program that will enable you to enter all your information on. There is a free one you can download from the familysearch site at http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=7000000&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=100069&level=2&bcname=Software%20Downloads%20-%20Free&top=Y&resetCat=N&replBC=subcatlist100069 You had better cut and paste this Ha Ha. The one you want is the top one Personal Ancestral File 5.2.18.0 - Multi-Language (9.7 MB) Just click on the Download button. Thats for starters. My advice would be to follow one family at a time until you get stuck then move on to the next. This way your mind stay's focused on who and where you should be looking at. If you need any mor help contact me via my name on a Private Mail. Victor

Alan Whats a family history programme? i only have my tree on here for now, but i'm thinking of moving it as soon as i invest in a better computer. MOE!

Thanks Victor, I have a feeling i'm going to get more muddled by that one but i'll have a go MOE!

Moe A family tree program is what I was telling you about. It keeps all the information you gather that can be viewed in an easy to read format. Victor

The sooner you get a family history program the better!! The tree facilities on this site are.....um.......not very good (hope GR don't delete this!!) Once you've got a program you will wonder how you ever managed with your notebooks!! As you said, it's so easy to get confused and finding things on screen is so much easier than flicking through pages etc. Dont forget though - if you have stuff on your computer to BACK IT UP REGULARLY lol As to which way to go now - I found the easiest thing was to keep going with one branch until I got stuck and then move on to a different one. By the time I got back to the first branch again some new resource would have come along or I would have some money to buy more certs. But do get yourself a program - you will never look back... Best of Luck Sarah

Family history programmes are computer software that allows you to build a family tree and store all the personal info about your relatives. Most allow you to scan in photos, allow you to export the tree as a GEDCOM file, print off trees ets. Some are free, like from the LDS, but you can buy them eg Family Tree Maker, Brother's Keeper. FTM2005 comes with free 90-day Ancestry access. It depends what you want to be able to do with your tree, how much money you want to spend and how confident you are with computers. As to how to do your tree: whatever way you want. Some people do one line at a time and switch when they get stuck or bored. Personally, I halt each time an ancester disappears into Ireland. I also have index cards that are colour-coded to show which of my grandparents' ancestors they are.

Hello Moe, I only buy certificates for Grandparents then G Grandparents then GG Grandparents .The only time I buy an Aunt, Great Aunt ,Great Great Aunt or uncle is when I cant find the direct line and need to confirm info in order to look for the family on a census. So then I would buy the person(sibling) born nearest to each census ie 1851 ,61,71 ,81 91 ro 1901 in order to confirm a possible address to then locate the family on a census. The family history programme i use to record all my info is one called Generations which I bought from PC world. But I understand there are free ones available from Family search I think and tribal pages. These are meant to be very good for helping you sort out visably your tree. Best of luck with your research. Jenny

Moe Have sent you an email. Victor

Print off a Fan Family Tree (Wakefield FHS has one on their site) and enter the names manually. It gives you a clear view of where people fit into the family tree though doesn't take into account siblings. I use one and only highlight the name when I have confirmation of BDM. This is particularly useful when you have the same surname (but no connection) on both sides of the family.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. i have now started to download the family history tree that was recommended (thankfully with step by step instructions) and cannot wait to start adding to it MOE!

As a newbie to this site, i have been reading the tips board and i would like to thank you for this tip. I too have got in a muddle and have paper and notes coming out of my ears!! Thanks Again Annie