By Niall Cullen, Findmypast
Family trees are a great way to keep tabs on the ancestors you’ve already traced, hold all your family’s past in one place and get the younger generations in your family interested in their roots.
You can be pretty sure that your ancestors hundreds of years ago knew nothing about family history research or building their family tree and this is all the more reason why you should make sure to create one so that the future generations of your family have an idea of where they came from.
Not only does a family tree add to a person’s sense of identity but it also provides a fascinating insight into the past.
A great place to start is by sketching out what you already know of your family tree, from yourself up to great-grandparents and beyond.
Much of the information you will need for this task can be collected by simply chatting to members of your family, particularly older members. Their knowledge is bound to develop those first few ‘branches’ on your family tree.
From there, take your tree online. You can save your online family tree on Findmypast where you can search historical records and add your ancestors to your tree as you discover them.
Keeping your family tree online has many advantages like being able to access it wherever you are and on whatever device you use.
It also means that you can save your tree and print it off whenever you like with a much more professional looking finish than any handwritten tree.
Findmypast’s online family tree features several ways to view it, the ability to name your tree and to send feedback to the website if you have any questions or need help building your tree.
You can also attach photos and documents to really bring your ancestors to life on your tree.
It is a wonderful gift to be able to pass on a comprehensive family tree to your children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
Why not get your complete tree printed on high-quality paper and have it framed? They make great birthday or Christmas gifts!
A family tree explains to your younger relatives who their ancestors were and how that has shaped them as the people are today.
The growing popularity of TV shows like Who Do You Think You Are? and The Genealogy Roadshow proves that genealogy is certainly becoming more mainstream than ever before.
Combined with those kinds of programmes, your family tree may be that starting point that the younger generations in your family need to get interested in the truly fascinating pastime of family history research.
To find out more on how to build your family tree visit Findmypast today.
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