You may not know it, but you have already begun collecting information for your family tree. Your personal memories and the stories you've heard from others have created a collection of genealogical information. The information that you already have probably includes the names, birth dates and birthplaces of your close relatives, along with other facts that you may know. To start growing your family tree, all you need to do is record the facts that you already know. It doesn't matter how few or how many facts you know, because even the smallest seeds can grow into enormous family trees!
On this site you will find:
- Starting out: collecting family memories
- Finding information at home
- Autograph books
- Bibles
- Books (check for inscriptions in them)
- Certificates (from schools or jobs)
- Closet doors (look for writing on the inside)
- Clothing and hats
- Cookbooks
- Diaries and day books
- Family trees
- Furniture (sometimes you'll find names and dates on the bottoms or backs of furniture)
- Photo albums
- Important papers (wills, titles, and deeds)
- Jewelry (such as pins, ID bracelets, charm bracelets, lockets, or anything else that may have an inscription or indicate membership in an organization)
- Letters
- Newspaper clippings
- Pictures (don't forget to look at the backs)
- Resumés
- School papers (report cards can have parents' signatures)
- Scrapbooks
- Sewing samplers, quilts, and other handmade items
- Trunks and chests
- Yearbooks
- Finding previous research
- Collecting oral histories
- Outside Research and Libraries