Welcome to Rootschat!
It is great - you will find lots of help and hints.
As to where to start!
Think about whether you want to go for a 'getting wider as it goes up ' type tree, or a 'getting wider as it goes down ' type tree.
The first sort starts with you, then goes up to 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 greatgrandparents etc. This has some attractions, but it's disadvantages are that you are dealing with LOTS of different names, and secondly that it always seems very limiting - e.g you are not including siblings and other branches of the family, so dont get such an all round picture.
The second sort is easier if you just take one 'line' of your family at once. Say, for example you follow your father's. You start with you and your siblings, then back to your father and his siblings, and follow them down to present day. You then just deal with that name, and each time you go back a generation and bring in all the siblings, a whole new branch opens up and you can follow each sibling down to the present day.
Whichever you choose:
Start with what you know for definite - your own birth (date and place), marriage if applicable etc. Then ask living relations for information on their births/marriages and what they know of deaths. But beware of all info given by rellies - confirm it all as you go along. Many of us have careered of on wild goose chases because Aunty someone said Fred died in Anytown just before'the war', when really it was Fred's dad (probably also called Fred, or k/a Fred) who died there before the previous war!
Go to the beginers board on Rootschat, and look at the links. Look through other posts and get ideas.
The main sources of records are:
1)Records of births marriages and deaths. From 1837 Civil Registration became law. The indexes of B, M & D can be viewed in their entirity at the Famiy Records Centre in London, or on the website 1837online, which is pay to view. Or there are some other websites which are by subscription. And some records are on FreeBMD which is free, but not complete!
Prior to 1837 it is down to Parish records, usually held in Local Record offices. If you can get to your local record office you will find it a mine of information.
2) Censuses. Indexes to 1851, 61,71,81,91,and 1901 are available online on ANcestry.com. Beware that these rely on how the transcriber interperated the enumerators writing - so if you cant find your rellie it doesnt mean they are not there!
Local record offices and the FRC hold the censuses - usually on microfilm so you can look through them yourselves.
3) Hosts of other things! Unfortunately it is usually only bits and pieces that have survived or are recorded, and there is no central place for all old documents. But the secret is never to leave any stone unturned - for every 100 'wastes of time' you will suddenly come up with something that gives you something really good!
My main piece of advise to anyone doing Family History is NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING! ALways check everything out. If you get stuck always go back to the last definitely proved piece of info.
Enjoy!!!
