# Family tree, nuts and all **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128 "2010-01-31T17:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ricth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@ricth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/1 "2010-01-31T17:38:44Z")
I am considering make a family tree. Can anyone recommend what is the best way to do this? Are the online sites worth it? Anyone that has done their own tree, what advice can you give me? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/2 "2010-01-31T18:04:28Z")
> [@ricth](#): > > I am considering make a family tree. Can anyone recommend what is the best way to do this? Are the online sites worth it? Anyone that has done their own tree, what advice can you give me? It may sound so obvious as to be silly, but start with your parents, grandparents, and work back step by step. You probably have aunts or great-aunts or cousins who have family records you’re unaware of. Get in touch with them before it’s too late. Search on genealogical sites or message boards may help, but often won’t unless you’ve already gotten back to 18th century or earlier; two large free searchable databases are [familysearch.org](http://familysearch.org) and [wc.rootsweb.com](http://wc.rootsweb.com). Perhaps the best pay site is [ancestry.com](http://ancestry.com) which has much information (e.g. U.S. censuses); when you’re ready, try their trial subscription and see if you like it. Define your goals. Are you just looking for ancestors, or also cousins? Is it just 1 or 2 surnames of special interest? Do you have specific family mystery to solve? If you accumulate so much data that you want computer or website assistance to maintain it, there is a standard format called _Gedcom_. I have no specific advice to offer accept do _not_ use something like _Family Treemaker_ which is set up for _their_ convenience, not yours. (Yes, I’m a genealogy hobbyist. Get me drunk sometime and I’ll tell you all about it! 🆒 ) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/3 "2010-01-31T18:05:31Z")
[http://www.geni.com](http://www.geni.com) is very easy to use. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/4 "2010-02-01T07:23:30Z")
> [@K364](#): > > [http://www.geni.com](http://www.geni.com) is very easy to use. The hardest part is getting information about everybody. I came in here to post the same website as K364. Geni is free, and the fastest way to grow your tree is to get other family members to help themselves! Start with yourself, add what you know. Then add email addresses where appropriate. \* \*I’d recommend talking to the people you add addresses for. A lot of my family is not computer literate, they’d see their email address to Geni, and immediately start adding everybody in their tree that you then have to merge, which is kind of a pain in the ass. I currently have four merges pending with various family members because they don’t grasp the concept of merging trees. Otherwise a great site. When you feel comfortable with Geni, dig for factual records on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com). ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/5 "2010-02-01T13:43:25Z")
My dad did one. He started with immediate family, then started asking back. After a while, he went to the library and searched through microfilms about our genealogy. I’m sure there are more efficient ways to do it now, but that’s how he did it about a decade ago. He got pretty darn far back, to the 1400s in some places. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/6 "2010-02-01T14:39:34Z")
Starting with yourself is always the best place to start. Go back as far as you can with what you know, then ask your parents and grand parents if you can. Then your other family, aunts, uncles, great aunts, which I’ve very lucky to have one of. The web sites are good, really good for some things, census records and other government forms and a lot of times forums and mailing lists. However, stay away from a lot of the family trees that you see. Some people just grab names to have more names in their family tree without really looking in to it. You might find someone with one of your ancestors listed and lots of wrong info. I know on [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com) someone took my work from my grandmother on back because she had the same name. Her name was Mary, you know one of the most common names there is. Basically take _every_ tree you find with a grain of salt, some a boulder sized grain. If you’re lucky like I am and live where a lot of your relatives did then the local library may have a lot of information as well. I’ve spent days at the local library and historical society. After a place like Ancestry it’s the best place to look. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-tree-nuts-and-all/527128/7 "2010-02-01T19:01:16Z")
Regardless of your goals, the most important thing is to start with who & what you know, and work out from there. You don’t need to rush in to buying a membership to a paid site, there is lots to learn which won’t cost you a penny before you can make use of [ancestry.com](http://ancestry.com) and other for fee site. Someone who doesn’t know enough yet, may take a simple mistake such as adding the [wrong great grandfather](http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.ancestry.ancimprovements/1261/mb.ashx). Ask relatives questions and learn more from them - see if anyone has an old family bible with birthdates or a tree in it, read blogs and articles, join in a few meeting of local genealogy groups and take your time, making sure you have the correct information before committing it into your tree.