Building a family tree may sound like a daunting process, but it can be a really fun family project. Many times, you have resources as close as a phone call or e-mail. Let the kids interview grandparents and aunts and uncles. Have everyone tell them about as many family members as they can remember. Older family members love to share stories and time with the younger ones.
Did anyone in your family keep a diary or a journal? They can be a wonderful source of first hand accounts and give an insight that you wouldn't have even talking to relatives. If the family member is still living, be sure to get permission to read the journal first. Old letters are also a wonderful source of information.
Once you've gathered first hand information, you can quite often find more information either in the library or the Internet. There are many genealogy sites that can assist in family research; however, some charge fees. Courthouse records and cemeteries can also be a good source of names and dates of relatives. You can search old newspaper records as well.
There are a few programs that can help you organize the data you've collected. They will also help layout a printable version of the family tree. There are freeware and shareware programs, as well as more expensive programs, which have more features.
A more creative approach to a family tree is to make a photo family tree. By painting a simple tree on the wall, and hanging photos, it makes a great way to display your research. If you don't want to have a wall-sized mural, a smaller scale in one frame, with small portraits is also nice. There are also cross-stitch patterns for very simple family trees as well, that have room for names and dates.
Researching your family tree can also help history come alive. As you dig further back along the family tree, you may find either that someone you are related to, knew someone famous, or was famous themselves. As you learn about each generation, you can do research about how they lived during that time period.
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