Researching your family history can be a daunting task, so here is some simple advice to help you along your way ...

Handy tips

Talking to older relatives is a good way to start. Encourage grandparents, uncles and aunts, even cousins, to reminisce about their youth and what they remember being told about the family. You may find that another relative is already researching your family history, and you could pool your information.

Start collecting material about your family - including birth, marriage and death certificates, photographs, diaries and letters. All of these will help you build up a picture of your relatives.

Be patient with older relatives and you may need to speak to them several times to jog their memories. Get them to show you their photograph albums, letters and family Bibles and it will trigger reminiscences.

But remember that memories can be faulty, so double-check all dates and names. From the start keep detailed records of everything that you discover in your search. Use one of the many family tree computer programmes which are available to store and index your research.

Don't just record the details - remember to note down each source so that if you find any discrepancies you can cross-check your information.

There are many reference books around which can help you in your quest. A good book for beginners to read is First Steps in Family History by Anthony J Camp, available from the Society of Genealogists.

The Society's bookshop has many useful books and leaflets which are available by post - write to them for a list.

During your research you may well come across someone wih the same name as yours, but don't be tempted to launch into him or her, unless you are quite certain that it is a relative. You can waste a lot of precious time by going off at a tangent.

If you need help in tracing your family, or are struggling with documents in Latin or in indecipherable handwriting, consider employing a professional searcher. The Society of Genealogists publishes a leaflet listing professional genealogists.

When you are writing to someone for help or information, remember to include an sae. Librarians and record offices get many requests for help, so make life as easy as possible. Just like any other skill, tracking down documents and interpreting them can actually be learned. Some universities and colleges offer courses in genealogy, which you may find useful.

Good luck with your searching, and have fun!