Make A Family Name Cloud

Isn't this cool?  This graphic is called a Family Name Cloud. You can make one for your family too at www.treeseek.com.  All it takes is a few minutes!

Now, I will admit that you can't create one of these in just a few minutes if you don't know who your ancestors are. First you will need to find them. But, even that isn't difficult. All you need to do is go to www.familysearch.org and key in the name of your parent or grandparent. Use as many of the search criteria as you can and press Enter. What will return are all the records the family search database has about that person or other people with similar names . The more details you enter, the less information you will get about people not related to you. I am amazed each time I use Family Search because the system always returns information about my ancestors. It can be difficult to find some of my ancestors because they have very common names like Mary Smith, Tom Howard and Julia Young.  However, Family Search always manages to find some information I didn't have. I bet in an hour or two you can find information about three or four generations of your own ancestors!

The next step is to create a FREE account in Family Search and add the names you find to your family tree. Once your family tree is set up, go to Tree Seek and create your Family Name Cloud! You can also create a pedigree chart or a fan chart that can display nine generations of your family tree. Tree Seek also supports family trees created in www.geni.com. I can't give you any details about Geni because I don't use it, but I believe you can create a free account there as well.

Make a Family Name Cloud for your family and hang it in your home. It is impossible to know where you are going if you don't know where you came from!


Take some time to get to know your ancestors. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a FREE web site that you can use to help you locate your ancestors: www.familysearch.org. This web site has all sorts of tutorials and on-line help if you don't know where to start. It has records from all over the world! Anyone, from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection, can access this site to search for their deceased family members. If you want even more help, stop by the family history center at your local church. You do not have to be a church member to use your local family history center.