Online Resources for Making a Family Tree

Making a family tree is a whole lot more than making a chart of the names, places and dates of your ancestors. It's an opportunity to look through old family photos and documents, listen to family stories from the past and discover new stories and the lives of your ancestors. You may find the process to be as rewarding as seeing the final fruit of your work. Although much of the legwork for your family tree will be done offline, the internet is full of tools to assist you in making your own family tree. Sifting through all the information can be overwhelming, so I have created this brief guide to introduce some of the awesome internet resources available to you.

Most of us are familiar with the basic steps of making a family tree. If you are only planning to make a chart going back to your grand-parents or great grand-parents, it might be a simple task. But what if you want to go much further-say beyond the memories of the living? Try reading through these online tutorials and articles:

Researching Your Family Tree

http://www.learnwebskills.com/family/intro.html
This great tutorial is set up as a FREE self-study course and even has its own yahoo group to join so you can connect with others embarked on the same adventure. In addition to the lessons, there are activities, tools and an even a quiz to get you started off right.

BBC: Family History

http://www.bbc.co.uk/familyhistory/
This in-depth tutorial from the BBC will provide you with an awesome understanding of digging into your family history. Although targeting a UK audience, most of the information is still relevant for Americans. If your ancestors came from the British Isles, you may even get some extra assistance here.

About.com: 101 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free

http://genealogy.about.com/cs/free_genealogy/a/free_sites.htm
This article details many of the free research tools available on the internet as you explore your family history.

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Tools on the Internet

http://www.cyndislist.com/howto.htm
This is a nice list of internet resources for the beginner. Also includes a list of print publications.

You may want to start an online family tree or family history website once you have collected the basic information. All of the sites allow you to add continuously. By creating a profile early on, you can easily enlist the help of your relatives and possibly locate relatives with whom you may have lost contact or didn't know existed. Most sites provide password protection for private data and allow access to an introductory page you create for the public. Here is a list of some FREE family tree or family history websites:

My Heritage.Com

http://www.myheritage.com/site-map
This FREE password protected site lets you create your family tree and add details such as photos, notes, documents and other information from your research. Be sure to take a tour of the site so you can see the awesome photo management program which helps you create multiple photo collections and individually indentify people in group photos. By adding an existing family members' e-mail, they will be invited to join and can share in the fun. Great over all site.

TribalPages

http://tribalpages.com/
Create your own FREE family history website to display your family tree, photos and even family stories. You can even mark locations on a map to display the birthplaces of your ancestors. You have a general page open to the public but private pages are only password accessible. Furthermore, names of living persons are not displayed on the into page. If you are into sharing the stories and memories of your family history, this is the site for you.

Geni

http://www.geni.com/family-tree/start
This simple to use FREE family tree website lets you create profiles and photos for family members. Password protected for privacy but you can allow limited access to help locate existing relatives. If you are looking a simple option, this is it.

As you start your adventure in discovering your family history, remember to take the time to enjoy the stories, memories and laughter but most of all, don't forget to share the joy of your discoveries with your entire family. What better way than creating an online family tree or family history website!