Genealogy for beginners – Harry tells us how.

Proof, if any were needed, that the exploration of one’s family tree is an endlessly fascinating topic for many, was the number of shul members who logged on to our member Harry Sassoon’s guide to genealogy for beginners.     Though still, strictly speaking, an amateur, Harry has become an advanced genealogist, spending at least some part of every day searching through the branches of his own family tree, and in the last couple of years, setting up a business which helps people make sense of their own ancestral records through digitising photographs, videos and other material.

“It’s an addictive hobby,” he told his audience, as he began by explaining his own genealogical journey before going on to list the 10 steps that help beginners start their own researches.   As well as advising which websites to use, eg Ancestry or My Heritage or others, to gather what kind of information, he also talked about having your DNA tested, the importance of preserving family records such as photos, videos and birth, marriage and death certificates, and untangled the knotty problem of identifying  your first, second or third cousin or even your cousins once, twice and thrice removed.