Since by now you’ve designated yourself the family historian, take it upon yourself to start a tree. My family uses the online tree-builder, Geni. The basic version is free, easy to navigate, and includes fun features like the ability to send birthday or anniversary wishes. You can also use Ancestry. Basic searches and tree building are also free, and if you’d like to dig deeper into Ancestry’s record base, you can sign up for a free 14-day membership trial. I haven’t tried them, but I’ve read good things as well about MyHeritage, FindMyPast (both of which you can also trial and which offer everything from tree-building software to DNA testing and photo animation) and FamilySearch (also a free service – be sure to check out their Learning Resources and FamilySearch Centers) and RootsMagic’s Personal Historian, which claims to make creating a complete, publishable document on your personal history easy by breaking the research process into small, manageable pieces. The Brigham Young University Family History Archive has produced a valuable collection of scanned historical books, as well, including several how-to’s on genealogy.
