Family tree search - Tips and How to find your family | EasyDNA UK

Family tree search – ¿free or not free?

Looking for your ancestors is not at an easy task, it requires time and dedication and if you don’t plan it properly you may end it quitting before you get to know your roots.

At easyDNA we want to help you and make easier the process of how to find your family tree.

There are many ways to do a family tree search, but we display to you the different options depending on your budget and how deep you want to know about the history of your family.

Free family tree search

Some websites promise access via the internet to your family records at no cost. This free family tree search has become popular amongst UK citizens in search of their genealogy.

However, to research your family’s ancestry effectively there are certain steps you should take and not just jump into it without preparation.

It is important to select a proper site for the family tree search. We have tested some sites and our experience will completely blow your mind. There are some factors you may need to consider when selecting the company

Study of your family tree with free online site 

There are some genealogy sites which are non-profit organizations run by volunteers, a good sample is Freeukgenealogy. Their staff transcript public records from respectable institutions for any user to have access openly to this information.  From birth certificates to parish registers, marriages, baptism… an extended database for you to have a free family tree search.

Another sample is the International Genealogical Index website which also contains millions of worldwide records about births and marriage which have been made public by many parishes.

You need to however be aware that these records are not necessarily accurate and records are not necessarily complete. Whichever the case, it is a great place to start your genealogy research and is highly recommended and used by expert genealogists.

family tree search UK

How to start a family tree search

The internet has made it a lot easier than it once was, yet is a great tool there are some steps for how to do a free family tree search

1 – Start your family tree search with relatives

It is also useful to interview your elderly relatives for more information about the older people in your albums and wedding photographs.

Decide on what side of the family you will start with – your mothers (distaff) side or your father’s (spear) side. Don’t try to research both at once.

The family tree search is best carried out first on one branch of your family, and then on the other. Otherwise, you will generate far too much data and your family genealogy will to be too obscure to make sense of.

2 – Set a line when branching out

Decide how far you are aiming for down your line, how far to branch out and where to start. Branching out involves what is known as your collateral relatives:  aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, second cousins and so on.

They have had no influence on your birth.  Your direct relatives are those without whom you could never have been born – grandparents and so on. Many people carry out ancestry research first on their direct relatives down perhaps 3 to 4 generations and then expand their family genealogy sideways into the collateral relatives.

3 – Online genealogy search

Once you have a plan with a start and endpoint, you can begin to make use of the online genealogy sites that enable you to try to make contact with existing relatives you have never met.

As mentioned before some sites will give you access to ancestry records such as parish records and census results, and even electoral rolls might come in useful to you.

Once you have completed your plan, draw up another that will drill farther down your ancestry and so on. This step will take a  bit at a time.

4 – Visit libraries and national archives

Visit public libraries to get to know more about your family tree. It may sound surprising but you will be able to find more information about your ancestors.

5- Order your online test to find your ancestors 

One of the reasons why you need to set an endpoint line is because there are different online tests that get you connected and search for your family root in different levels.

Some test does a deep search like the GPS origins

6 -Hire a researcher (optional)

This will be the most expensive option but some websites offer the option to do the job for you

7 – Draw your family tree

There are plenty of family tree templates online, chose those which are printable as most likely you would like to hang it up in your wall!

If you are looking for a nice and fancy one the Ancestry Origins map is one of the most recommended among our users.

map of Ancestral Origins

What is a Family tree and why is important

A family tree is a chart that displays your genealogy, is called a tree because the display is branched out like a tree. The chart will show the connections with your ancestors and the relationship between them

For British, it is very important to know where they come from as it helps them to understand more about themselves who they are, therefore it is essential to research and find the correct information.

If you want to see the full list of test available click on this link: DNA ancestry test available in the UK 

Ancestry research is not easy, and you must do whatever you can to give yourself a head start when for your family tree search.

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