My husband (Greg) and I just returned from attending a family wedding in the Minneapolis area. Greg grew up in Minnesota and much of his extended family still live there. Since we were there for five days, we took the extra time to re-connect with several of his cousins and their families.  We met some family members for the first time and learned new stories about family history.   This new found family knowledge got me thinking how important it is to document your family tree.

Most of you know that a family tree is simply a chart representing family relationships in the structure of a tree. It represents records of the past but is always growing and changing through marriages and births and as ancestors are traced.

Start your family tree by gathering information you already have; photographs, family documents, old letters, family bible. Ask relatives about specific individuals and gather additional details including nicknames, places they lived, occupations and other vital information (birth, marriage, and death dates).  Then continue your research online by using sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry.com or Geneaology.com.  You will find a wealth of information online.

Documenting your family tree information is a simple step. Just do a search for “free family tree”. Choose from free software you can download and enter your family information or print a family tree diagram template and work on it as a family project.

There are many benefits that come from creating a family tree.

The pleasure of hunting for ancestors – Searching family history is like working on a giant puzzle.  There are always details to be added or people to be found.

The joy of passing the history to future generations – Knowing that your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and others will understand who their ancestors were, where they came from and other important facts.  This kind of detail brings people to life and conveys the personality of your family.

The thrill of discovering links to historical events and places – Exploring these links helps us to understand how our ancestors lived and how differently we live now.   You may even discover a family relationship to a famous historical figure.

Plus a few other benefits – these include discovering the medical history of your family.   Finding some truths to misunderstood family stories. You may even connect with a long lost cousin or discover unknown family members.

Including the family tree document as part of your family legacy drawer will be appreciated by your children, grandchildren, and future generations. Fall is a perfect time to start this project!