DIY Heraldry: How to Trace Your Family History

Did you ever wonder where you came from? Researching your family tree (Heraldry) has never been easier, trace your family history and find out who your ancestors were? With over five million people annually researching their family tree here is a few tips on how to get started.

ASK YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS:

The quickest way to commence on investigating your family tree is to ask all of your family especially the older members. See if they have any official documentation e.g, birthcerts, photographs or diaries. Try to get as much information and ask them to recall who married who, when and gather as much information about births, deaths and marriages as you possibly can. Ensure that the spellings are correct and that any dates given are as accurate as possible. Be sure to ask relatives to identify everyone in old photographs, as you may find further down the line that one person who may not seem important could actually hold the key to unlocking vital doors in your research.

COMPILE AND BUILD A FILE:

Once you have as much information from family members you commence to build your file and draw out your family tree on paper (or on your computer). You can purchase computer programs specifically for Heraldry for approximately $50 and they are very easy to use. Look up the Government website (Register Office) which has a family tree chart that you can download for free. Other useful websites include www.heraldry.com, www.heraldica.org which is the Official Heraldry office of the United States and shows you everything from your family crest to titles etc.,

BECOME YOUR OWN DIY DETECTIVE: