Start with what you know, your name and the names of your biological parents. Gather any documents about the birth, marriages and deaths of your parents. If you know the names of your grandparents, add their birth, marriage and death information. If you do not know, write down everything that you remember about each relative, and ask any older family members who may have information about your family. Also, write down any unique or unusual details about that family member. Remember, many people have the same name, date of birth and place of birth, so any information about them that is unique, however small may be helpful in your search. 

Here is a template for gathering genealogical information about each of your ancestors to get you started. Create your own system for organizing your information on each of your ancestors, whether it be electronic or on paper.

First Name:

Last Name:

Maiden Name (If applicable):

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Marriages:

Death Date:

Place of Death:

Names of Children:

Names of Parents: 

Unusual Details: 

Everyone is unique and is their family tree. There are many different types of family trees that people use to organize their lineage. Some trees are electronic with special software, some are beautiful works of art, and others are handwritten. Choose the type of family tree chart that makes most sense to you. If you are doing your own family tree, it will always start with you and then "branch" out to generations in the past. 

Types of Charts:

• Fan Charts: Shaped like a fan, ancestors fan out from a central point. This chart is often one that gets printed and hung on a wall.
• Pedigree Charts: Usually oriented from left to right, starts with the home person, and branches out horizontally to the right for each generation. 
• Family Group Sheets: One family grouped together in a templated sheet, usually including one married couple and their children together. 
• Kinship Report: List of ancestors by name and how they are related to one specific person.
• Outline Chart: Usually found in genealogy books, starts with a person or a couple and lists their descendants by numbered generation.