How to trace your family roots, step by step

Most families in India can go back three or four generations with just a few conversations and a handful of documents. Here is a simple order of work that gets you there, and then further.

1. Start with what you already know

Begin with yourself and work backwards: your parents, their brothers and sisters, your grandparents on both sides. Write down every name you are sure of, even if you only know a first name or a nickname like "Baby" or "Nana". A tree with gaps is far more useful than no tree at all, because the gaps tell you exactly what to ask about next.

In Rootlines, add each person as you go and mark anyone you have not confirmed as to be traced. That dashed box becomes your to-do list.

2. Talk to the oldest people in the family first

Your grandparents, grand-aunts and grand-uncles are the most valuable source you have, and they will not always be available. Visit them before you do anything else. Ask about their own grandparents, where the family lived, who married whom, and how many brothers and sisters each person had. Daughters who married into other families are often forgotten within two generations, so ask about them specifically.

We have put together a list of 50 questions to ask your family elders that works well as a starting script.

3. Collect the papers that are already in the house

Most families have more records than they realise. Look through old trunks, cupboards and files for:

• Wedding invitations (lagna patrika), which usually list parents, grandparents and several relatives by name.
• School leaving certificates, which record a father's name, date of birth and native place.
• Land papers, sale deeds and will documents, which often name several generations of heirs.
• Photographs, especially group photos with names written on the back.
• Letters, diaries and ration cards, which record addresses and household members.

4. Go back to the native village

If your family moved to a city one or two generations ago, the native village (gaon) is where the older records and the older memories are. Distant relatives who stayed behind often know branches of the family you have never heard of. The village temple, the local school and the talathi or tahsil office all hold records that can take you back further.

For families from Maharashtra, our guide to kul, vansh and old records in Maharashtra explains which offices hold what.

5. Check official and religious records

Once family memory runs out, written records take over. The most useful ones in India are:

• Land records, where inheritance entries name the heirs of each owner, generation after generation.
• Birth and death registers at the gram panchayat or municipal office.
• School general registers, which may go back a hundred years in older schools.
• Genealogy registers kept by priests at pilgrimage places, where many families recorded visits for generations.

6. Cross-check before you write it down as fact

Family stories are precious but not always exact. Two people may be merged into one, or a cousin may be remembered as a brother. When a name matters, try to confirm it from two separate sources, such as an elder's memory and a land record. Where you cannot confirm something yet, keep it in the tree but leave it marked as to be traced.

7. Share it and keep a backup

A family tree grows fastest when relatives can see it, because everyone notices a different gap. Print a one-page copy or save it as a PDF and send it to the family group, asking people to correct and add names. In Rootlines, use Save file now and then to keep a backup copy, since your tree is stored only on your own device.