Everyone wonders about their ancestors. Who were your grandparents and great grandparents? Who am I and why do I live here?

You probably know your parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts a generation back. However, you may not know where they emigrated from and why. Maybe, you do not even know where they live.

Creating a genealogy helps you put every one in the right place and time. I like to take a large piece of cardboard and start off with the oldest ancestor you know and come down to the present. This way helps keep everyone organized and you will not lose a cousin.

Your family tree consists of only your parents, your children, grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandparents and so forth. The people you are directly related to.

You then make separate trees for your spouse and uncles and aunts. However, I like to keep everyone together and do what is called “cluster genealogy”.

If your ancestors emigrated, they no doubt brought family over and also went to the town where their ancestors lived. When searching a census, for example, look around the town for relatives. Families did not move far away and often married a person who lived nearby.

There are many family tree software programs. Everyone has their own favorite. You can look online or visit a book store for forms and charts.

You do not need to use software or even a computer to make a good genealogy, but it helps keep everything organized. You can even add pictures and write family stories in them.

Maybe you were adopted or even feel like you are in the wrong family. There are thousands of family trees online, but be careful that you are looking into the right one.

A good reason to make a family tree is to find inherited diseases. Most diseases are caused by some sort of abuse or lack of knowledge for prevention. If you know the disease and the cause, you will have ammunition to use against the disease.

It is very helpful to make a timeline for every person in your tree. It helps put people in context with events going on in the world. You will be able to quickly see if there was a war going on or an epidemic that may have killed some of your family.

Another reason to make a family tree is to release your creativity. There are several styles of trees available or make your own. You can use a picture of an actual tree and make the leaves the people on the tree. Have fun making your family tree.

Elizabeth Larsen has researched her family tree for 35 years. For more information on beginning a good genealogy and many tips, go to http://www.squidoo.com/basicgenealogy