Take your notebook and on the first page print your first name, middle name, and last name (surname) at the top of the page. Underneath your name, enter your birthday including the year you were born. On the next line, enter where you were born, including city, county, state, country.
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
First name, Middle name, Last name
Birthdate: _________________________________________________________________________________
Month – Day – Year
Location Born: _____________________________________________________________________________
City, County, State, Country
Next, talk with your mother and father and ask them the same questions about themselves.
Your mother had a different last name (maiden name) before she married your father. Make sure you write down her maiden name when you enter her information. At the top of a new sheet of paper in your notebook, complete the following information for your mother.
Mother's Name: ____________________________________________________________________________
First name, Middle name, Last name
Mother's Birthdate: __________________________________________________________________________
Month – Day – Year
Location Born: _____________________________________________________________________________
City, County, State, Country
At the top of a new sheet of paper in your notebook, complete the following information for your father.
Father’s Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
First name, Middle name, Last name
Father’s Birthdate: __________________________________________________________________________
Month – Day – Year
Location Born: _____________________________________________________________________________
City, County, State, Country
Another piece of information that you want to ask about is the day your mother and father got married. Enter that information on your mother’s page.
Marriage Date: ____________________________________________________________________________
Month – Day – Year
Location Married: __________________________________________________________________________
Church, City, County, State, Country
With the information you have entered, you now have two generations in your family tree.
To support the information that you have gathered, ask your parents for copies of your birth certificate, your parents’ birth certificates and their marriage license. These papers or documents are proof that the events that you are reporting happened.
You will want to continue climbing your family tree by talking with other family members. You can start new pages in your notebook with your brothers and sisters’ names, birth dates and where they were born. Ask your grandparents the same three questions you have asked yourself, your parents and your siblings and write down their answers in your notebook. Use your notebook to record all the wonderful stories you will hear from your parents.
