About Genealogy

Genealogy tips

Genealogy is the fastest growing pastime in the world. Many books and websites offer information on how to research your family tree. To get you started, we offer the following tips for beginners:

• Start at home. You can uncover a tremendous amount of information from your own family – questioning your siblings and parents and trolling through old photographs and scrapbooks.


• Interview your parents to determine:
  • What were their parents and grandparents names (especially maiden names)?
  • Where were they born, married and buried?
  • When did they pass away?
  • Who is your oldest living relative?
  • … and any other questions you can think of. Then …
• Interview other relatives. Try to get them to tell stories about family members they remember. You’ll be amazed at how the stories begin sparking new memories of long-forgotten people and places.
• Make a family tree. You can begin with a simple diagram, starting with yourself at the bottom, then your siblings, parents, their parents, etc. This will give you a graphic representation of the gaps in your current knowledge. As you learn more, and the family tree becomes more complicated, you may find one of the many family tree software packages available will be a big time-saver.
  
• Now, roll up your sleeves and begin digging for records. Census records, birth, marriage and death certificates, tax records, wills, etc. can all yield invaluable information.
• Now it’s time to fill in the gaps with accurate gravestone information. You could try to visit every graveyard in the county and surrounding areas. Or you could save time and effort with a quick visit to Laois Genealogy!

Contact us for more information on genealogy in Ireland