To accomplish the task of effectively constructing a family tree, every historian requires available data about the individuals constituting the family in addition to seeking extra information. The relevant records from inside the home that can yield useful information include archived newspapers, military documents, business indexes, and prisoner lists. Although such documents can enable you to properly describe the way of life of an ancestor, BMDs offer a more accurate alternative in the identification of people who existed in the past.

Prior to seeking information, you have to first gather some guiding information from your parents. Next, you have to comprehensively review your data to confirm that the preliminary information is accurate since inaccurate information will cause confusion in the later stages of research. For instance, if you are already aware of the names of your grandparents and place of birth, you should consult your parents to verify that your information is correct. Additionally, you can ask someone who knew them for further information including the names of your great-grandparents. This will be your initial data.

Utilizing the facts, you already have, you can perform an online search for the birth certificate in the baptisms and birth section of a BMD internet database. After confirming that you have obtained the right birth certificate by referencing the information you have obtained from other sources, you can confidently add the facts you have discovered to your family tree including the official names of your grandparents and dates of birth.

The subsequent step is to find the marriage certificates of your great-grandparents by utilizing the names the birth certificates of your grandparents provide. You can obtain these papers by searching the divorces and marriages section of the BMD database, and the process is greatly streamlined if you possess two correct names. In case you get a number of documents, then you can confirm the right one through a simple elimination process.

Marriage certificates are very crucial in constructing a family tree because they are the key to finding out the occupations of the couple. Additionally, they will provide the names of great-great-grandparents and also list their professions. Furthermore, this marriage certificate can give information that is needed to search for additional birth certificates.

Finally, death certificates are also very beneficial tools in constructing the family tree. In addition to explaining the cause of death and burial place, they highlight the next of kin. Therefore, it offers a means of discovering more relatives. Death records are available in the burials and death area of BMD records.