Your Step By Step Guide To Getting Started

With billions of records online at findmypast, researching your family tree may at first seem a little daunting. Follow these easy steps to help you get started.

1. Where To Start

• Write down what you already know about your ancestors - just the facts, not the rumours!
• Ask your family. Try these 20 questions to help you get going...
• Search the attic. Check old photographs, letters or documents and other heirlooms for clues to the past
• Start your 14 day free trial, with access to billions of records that date back as far as 875AD!

2. Build Your Family Tree

• Start building a family tree at findmypast. It’s free to use and totally secure.
• Put the initial information you have acquired into your tree and begin to grow from there.
• Add any extra information that you find along the way to each family member’s profile.

3. Birth / Marriage / Death Records

• Understand why they're so important and how they can help, with all the jargon explained by our experts.
• When you’ve found an ancestor, use the information to order their birth, marriage or death certificate.
• Certificates provide lots of extra detail, such as parents’ names, occupations and address.

4. Census Substitutes

• Discover your family in our census substitutes including the exclusive Landed Estate Court Rentals, and the indispensible Griffths' Valuation.

5. Newspaper Reports

• Findmypast have scanned millions of pages of historical local newspapers, dating from 1710 to 1963.
• Search for your ancestors within their pages to discover what life was like and add more detail to what you know about your family history.
• Newspapers reported both local and national news, inquests, obituaries, scandals and criminal trials.

6. Broaden Your Search

• Explore findmypast’s other collections - there are over 1.5 billion records to search!
• You could learn about your ancestor’s time in the army, at sea or even in prison.
• Find living relatives, research your Irish roots and discover other overseas relatives with millions of records available from all round the world.