First will come the personal knowledge of the individual concerned. I will know the names of father and mother, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and quite probably grandfather. These names can be set out spaced well apart in the form shown on the pedigree. In setting out brothers and sisters some genealogists put all the males first on the left-hand side presumably because the females are unimportant for the purpose of following through the surname, but I prefer myself to keep the order of age, even if the lines of descent on the table must dance from side to side. It will be seen in the example that by thickening the lines the main descent can be made to stand out.

The older members of the family may have information from their own knowledge or recollection which can be invaluable. Opportunity should be taken to ask them to help by telling what they know, not merely of the line of descent but of the history of the family, work and character of individuals, etc. There may be traditions handed down from one generation to another, probably verbally. These should be recorded, but, of course, as tradition, not as definite knowledge. It is dangerous to accept tradition without some confirmation.

Speaking of traditions, one of the commonest of these is the connection with some armigerous family giving the right to hear arms. It may, of course, be true, but should be suspect until confirmed. In the 19th century, particularly, 'heraldic stationers' developed their publicity, and rings and notepaper with heraldic crests became common. Heraldry will not be touched on here, though it is, of course, of value in genealogical research on families known to be entitled to inns. There is no official roll of arms published, and those interested must depend on the various books which deal with the genealogy of the peerage and gentry. However, in all printed records one must remember that an entry in print is not ipso facto correct, putting a fact beyond question. There may be mistakes in copying, in interpretation or in typography, or the original itself may be suspect.

Whilst personal knowledge will establish relationships, this must he supplemented by such evidence as may be available from family documents as to dates of births, marriages and deaths. In the 18th nod 19th centuries it was common for a family to have a large 'family bible'. On the Fly leaves of this, in sometimes on blank pages between Old and New Testaments were written out details about members of that family. Dates and places of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials were usually recorded and often other inhumation, such as who the husbands or wives of members of the family were. If there is no family bible, there may be certificates of birth, baptism, etc., amongst family documents, from which the same information can be obtained. If there is reluctance to ask a particular aunt her age, it will not usually be difficult to lead her to talking sufficiently of her family to extract her maiden name (if married) and her place of birth: then a search at the General Register Office should find the date of birth without difficulty, particularly if it is known approximately.

The next most valuable documents likely to he found in family archives are wills of earlier generations. A father usually (though not, of course, always) mentions his wife and all his children living at the time of its execution. If, for instance, the grandfather being known, a great grandfather's will is available his name can be added as well as those of the grandfather's brothers and sisters. If the copy should be the official probate copy, the date and place of probate should be added in the pedigree.
All old wills of members of the family should be examined, whether in the direct male line or not, as sometimes a gap in one will (perhaps a son who (lied before its execution) may be filled from another (e.g. from that of an aunt who died earlier, whilst the son was still alive). The wills of aunts and uncles are particularly useful, as often mentioning great-nephews and great- nieces.

Besides a family bible and old wills there will possibly be other family documents, the quantity of which will depend on the importance of the family and the care which has been taken to preserve them. It may be that some earlier member of the family has been interested and has left some notes. All should be examined for any information bearing on the pedigree.

There may be no family documents to provide this foundation for the pedigree. A man may have lost his parents at an early age and have been brought up by, perhaps, two aunts. Such oral information as can be gleaned from them should be noted first. They will probably he able to say something of the father and, perhaps, of the grandfather (their own father). Information may be vague on some points, but an effort should be made to have it as definitely as possible, particularly dates of births, marriages and deaths and the places where they occurred.

When confirmation of such records is required, a visit should be paid to the General Register Office at St. Catherine's House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2, where indexes can be seen for all births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales since 1 July, 1874. From that date civil registration began, returns being sent to the General Register Office by District Registrars and, in the case of marriages in Church, by the incumbent of the parish. Indexes may be searched without charge: they normally give surname, Christian name and registration district only, so the searcher should be armed with approximate dates and places. The original registers are not open for public inspection, but, when the required entry has been found in the index, a form will be completed and a full certificate of the birth, marriage or death will he supplied for a fee of £5 on personal search. This certificate can either be sent by post or collected some days later.

Certificates of birth, marriage or death can be applied for by letter: the search fee for a period of five years as in this case including the certificate. It is important that the precise details known should be given, i.e., surname and Christian name with date and place of the event (as nearly as is known). Such application can also be made to the local District Registrar.

A word of warning - if the place of birth was a small village, this will not be given as the registration district in the index: this would probably be the name of the nearest town, or the Hundred. It is therefore advisable to familiarise oneself with the area by studying the map before going to St. Catherine's House.

The General Register Office includes not only records of England and Wales, but also those of registration with British Consulates abroad, at which it is customary for British subjects to register births, marriages and deaths. One must not, therefore, necessarily be disheartened because an ancestor is found to have gone abroad.
If there is some doubt whether the certificate applied for is the right one, e.g. if two persons of the same name occur in the same registration district in the same period, one can ask for a check to he made (at an additional charge).

In view of the high charges for certificates, the searcher will want to cut down on them as much as possible. With this in mind he could make a search in the census returns for 1851, 1861, 1871 or 1881, whichever is nearest to the date.

For example, suppose that a birth has been found for 1863. A search of the Census for 1861 would be well worth while. If the family is found, the place of birth of each member would be given and, with luck, a grandparent might be found living in the same household. This might take one back in one step to the period before civil registration and directly to the parish registers without need for further certificates. If, however, the family is not found in the parish of the 1863 birth, one should try the 1871 census. It is worth while remembering that the entry of a brother or sister is equally valuable.