Organise Your Family History Research in One Place

Family Tree Simple · Updated 25 September 2026 · 8 minute read

Stop juggling spreadsheets, screenshots and sticky notes. Family Tree Simple is a free, structured home for your genealogy research.

Serious family history research generates a lot of data. Family Tree Simple gives it structure, searchable, shareable and exportable, so your discoveries compound instead of getting lost.

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Turn a broad interest into a research question

Family history research becomes more manageable when you investigate one relationship, event or identity at a time. “Learn everything about the family” is an interest, not a workable search plan. “Which person with this name married my great-grandmother?” gives you a question, a likely period and a set of details to compare.

Write down what you already know and where that information came from. Separate a documented fact from a family recollection or an assumption copied from another tree. This starting note prevents a familiar story from quietly becoming the basis of every later search, even when its origin is uncertain.

Choose a question that matters to the structure of your tree. Confirming one parent-child connection can be more valuable than collecting dozens of unrelated records with the same surname. A small, well-supported conclusion gives the next stage of research a stronger foundation.

Build a timeline before searching widely

List the known events for the person in chronological order. Include the date, place, related people and source for each entry. A timeline can reveal gaps, conflicting ages or two records that could not plausibly describe the same individual.

Use approximate dates honestly. If a source implies a birth year from an age, record how you derived the estimate. Do not replace every estimate with a precise date merely because the tree interface offers a date field. Keep the distinction visible in your notes and use the available format that best represents the evidence.

Place names also need context. Boundaries and administrative names can change, and different places can share a name. Record the wording from the source and add a present-day interpretation separately when you have established it. That way, a later researcher can understand both the historical reference and your reasoning.

Search for the record, not just the name

A name search is a starting point, but it rarely supplies a complete research strategy. Ask what kind of record would answer the question and which organisation would have created or retained it. A birth, marriage, census, migration or military question may lead to different collections and different access arrangements.

Read the collection description before concluding that a missing result means the event did not happen. The collection may cover only certain years, places or record types. An index may omit details available in the underlying document, and a transcription can contain errors that affect a name search.

The National Archives genealogy resources provide a starting point for US federal records. For other jurisdictions, identify the relevant national, regional, local or specialist archive. No single website should be assumed to contain every record for every family.

Compare identities using several details

When you find a promising record, compare more than the name. Look at age, residence, occupation, relatives, witnesses and the sequence of events. Several consistent details strengthen an identification; a major conflict should trigger further investigation rather than being ignored because the name matches.

Common names require particular care. Two people in the same region may have similar ages and family names. Build a short comparison note for each candidate rather than merging them prematurely. Record what fits, what conflicts and which additional evidence could distinguish them.

Do not use a copied online tree as automatic proof of a relationship. It can be a useful lead, especially if it points to records you have not seen, but the conclusion still needs review. Follow the cited evidence where possible and decide whether it actually supports the connection being claimed.

Keep a research log that records unsuccessful searches

An unsuccessful search is still useful information when its scope is recorded. Note the collection, search terms, filters and date checked. Without that log, you may repeat the same search several times and mistake repetition for progress.

Record the limits of the search as well as the result. “No match in this index for these years and spellings” is more accurate than “no record exists.” The first statement describes an action you performed; the second may claim far more than the collection allows you to know.

• Research question: the specific fact or relationship being investigated.
• Source or collection: where you looked and its relevant coverage.
• Search method: names, variants, dates and filters used.
• Result: what was found, including a clear reference.
• Assessment: how the result affects the question.
• Next step: the most useful remaining source or comparison.

Use the log to plan the next session. A short note explaining why a particular archive or record type is promising makes it easier to resume the work without rereading every document.

Preserve citations and document context

Save enough information to find a source again: collection name, archive or owner, item reference, page and the relevant person's details. If the source is online, retain a stable record link where available and note when you accessed it. A search-results URL may not reproduce the same result later.

Keep a copy of the complete relevant document where you are permitted to do so, rather than only a cropped name. Surrounding information can explain the record's meaning or reveal another relative. Preserve the original file separately from any annotated or enhanced working copy.

If you transcribe handwriting, mark uncertain words instead of silently choosing a convenient interpretation. An honest question mark helps a future reviewer. A confident but incorrect transcription can spread through a tree and make later searches harder.

Evaluate conflicts instead of hiding them

Two sources may disagree about a date, age or relationship. Begin by identifying what each source actually states and who supplied the information, if known. Consider whether the source was created close to the event and whether the informant was likely to know the detail being recorded.

Do not turn those considerations into an automatic ranking that ignores context. A document can be reliable for one detail and mistaken about another. Explain the reasoning for your conclusion and preserve the alternative when it remains relevant.

If the conflict cannot yet be resolved, say so. You can keep a working hypothesis in your research notes without presenting it as an established branch in a shared tree. Clear uncertainty is a strength of the record, not a failure to finish the chart.

Example: two people with the same name

Suppose you are researching a person named in a family letter, and a search returns two people with the same name and similar birth years. One lived near the place mentioned in the letter, while the other shares an occupation remembered by a relative. Neither clue is enough on its own.

Create a comparison timeline for both candidates. Look for related names, addresses and events that connect directly to the known family. A later record may identify a spouse or parent that resolves the question. Until then, keep the candidates separate and label the research question clearly.

The example illustrates why a quick name match can be misleading. A tree grows more reliably when each important connection is supported by a chain of evidence, rather than by the first plausible result on a search page.

Use family stories as leads with their own context

A family story can preserve valuable names, places and experiences that do not appear in a simple chart. Record who told it, when and whether they witnessed the event or heard it from someone else. That context helps distinguish a direct memory from a tradition that changed as it was retold.

Look for records that can confirm parts of the story without forcing every detail to fit. A remembered destination may be approximate, or a date may have shifted by a generation. The story can still be meaningful even when some factual elements need correction.

Treat sensitive discoveries thoughtfully. Research can reveal information about living people or relationships that relatives did not expect to discuss publicly. Decide what belongs in a private research file and what is appropriate for a shared family account. A discovery does not automatically create a reason to publish it widely.

Know when to pause a branch

A difficult question can consume a great deal of time without producing new evidence. When you have exhausted the most relevant available sources, summarise the work and identify what would change the conclusion. This allows you to pause deliberately rather than abandoning a tangle of unexplained notes.

Move to another useful task: organise photographs, verify a different relationship or improve citations on a completed branch. A pause can also allow new records or expertise to become available. Keep the unresolved question visible so a future lead can be assessed against the work already done.

Before adding the next generation to Family Tree Simple, review the connection that supports it. Confirm that the evidence belongs to the intended person, that the relationship is represented correctly and that the source note is findable. The most useful family history is one another person can understand, question and continue.