The first steps in starting your family history begin at home. If you still have parents or older siblings, ask them what they know of the family. Uncles or aunts on either side may be a great source of information – if they are willing to help.
When you can construct the ‘roots’ of your tree you may need to obtain some official records to ensure that you have the correct dates to place people in the right order to make your ‘branches’. The county Record Office is your best place to visit when you know what you are going to look for. They can provide you with local parish records of births, deaths and marriages. If your parents or grandparents moved to where you were born then the Census Records are the next source to go to. These records were made from 1841 to 1911, the last one recently made accessible on line. For some strange reason they are only made public after one hundred years. Yet a lot of information can be obtained on line now from firms who have put together many sources of information. This will cost you a subscription.