Genealogy how-tos
Practical, plain-English help for building a family history: where to start, what to ask, how to record stories and photos, how genealogists write dates and number ancestors, and how to find records for free.
Getting started
How to make a family tree, step by step
Start with yourself and work back one generation at a time.
A family tree for a school project
Three generations, photos, and a kind way to include every kind of family.
How to draw a blended family tree
Stepparents, half and step-siblings, adoption and fostering, drawn clearly.
Stories and photos
Questions to ask your relatives about family history
Over 40 interview questions, grouped from childhood to later life.
How to record family stories and voices
Permission, a quiet room, good prompts, and saving the recordings.
How to organize family photos
Sort, scan at 600 dpi, name files, identify faces and tag group photos.
Research and records
Ahnentafel numbering, explained
Father is 2n, mother is 2n+1: number every ancestor and read their place.
How to write dates in genealogy
Day month year, ABT/BEF/AFT/BET, and double dates like 1699/1700.
Adoption in a family tree
Adoptive and birth parents, how to draw both, and what GEDCOM records.
How to find your ancestors for free
Relatives, FamilySearch, archives, census, newspapers and cemeteries.