Collect the evidence

Surviving relatives are a goldmine of information on your family’s history. A conversation with an elderly aunt or distant cousin could reveal names, key dates, relationships, occupations – the list is endless.

Here's some top tips to make the most of your research:

► Record all you are told in a coherent way, either in written notes or using a recording device such as a dictaphone or camcorder

► Transcribe your content for easy access, noting the subject of the interview and the date and time

► Take along your sketched family tree or a couple of significant photos may serve as a useful aide memoire to elderly relatives

► Make the most of your visit by asking whether they have anything else that might assist you with your search

► This process may also uncover precious personal heirlooms such as letters and diaries, offering a unique insight into a forebear’s personality and experiences

► A telephone call or well-worded letter or email to a distant cousin might make a connection with one of your family’s other historians, who will be only too glad to pool resources

► Make photocopies or digital scans of the documents and papers you need for reference and keep the fragile originals in archival storage boxes, made from acid-free paper

► A family history project generates a plethora of paperwork, so it pays to settle on a system early and stick to it

► The more computer-literate may find specialist family history software a useful way of collating their findings, while others prefer a card file system or a collection of labelled ring binders

With any new piece of information, write the surname of the person it relates to in capital letters (eg, John SMITH). This will help you scan to the relevant part of your notes when you need to find it.