This short introduction provides a brief overview of the records and processes which are used to establish a pedigree in England and Wales. Tracing families in Scotland and Ireland is based upon similar methods and records but there are also many differences which will not be addressed here. Tracing a family history requires gathering evidence, evaluating and corroborating facts from different sources and finally setting down relationships which have been established beyond reasonable doubt.
Research progresses backwards in time from the present day and from the known to the unknown.
The starting point is invariably your own knowledge, however limited. You may have a rich fund of information passed down by parents or grandparents or as little as the knowledge of your own identity. From this you can sketch a pedigree representing the family so far as you know it. The next step is to interview family members, most obviously the elderly whose memories might be expected to go back furthest, but not ignoring younger members who may have details not known to you or which you have forgotten. Their information may allow some further branches and details to be added to your pedigree.