Tips for Tracing Your Family Tree – Guest Blog
News item · 23 May 2016
Here at the Canterbury Tales, we are very proud to work with Hall of Names. Delving into the history of your family has never been easier…
Hall of Names have been researching names and their historical origins since 1971, and in 2002 realised a growing public demand for Heraldry and Family Tree information. Their extensive database now stores over 800,000 British surnames, 35,000 Scottish Clan Histories, 24,000 Irish ‘Sept’ Histories as well as an extensive collection from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and more!
In their blog ‘Tips for Tracing Your Family Tree’, Hall of Names give 10 top tips for starting that journey into your history:
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1. Be specific- focus on just one or two people at a time otherwise you may get bogged down.
2. Record all your discoveries in one, safe place.
3. Don’t forget that family members are an invaluable source of knowledge- ask them questions!
4. Start your search at home- look through old photos for clues.
5. For help along the way, join a local family history society.
6. Subscribe to one of many helpful magazines- they will keep you focused and help generate new ideas.
7. There are lots of groups and societies that can aid your search- tack them down on social media.
8. Make sure to check all available records, including parish records, birth, marriage and death certificates, census information and military records and more.
9. Surnames and their spelling change over time, be aware of this as it may impact upon your search.
10. Enjoy yourself!