Tracing family tree - any tips?

[champagnesupernouveaux]

I've probably been watching too much Who Do You Think You Are, but I'd like to have a go at tracing my family tree. Any tips? I have limited information going as far as my grandparents on both sides. My dad's side are all dead - him, his siblings, his parents, and I have no cousins on that side. But I do have full birth dates. My mum's side is a little trickier. I once suggested we trace the family tree and she said no, she didn't want to. Not sure why. I have a feeling her father (my grandfather) wasn't a pleasant man, so not sure whether I should try that side. Maybe I should just stick to my dad's side.

Any tips of how to do it? I live 300 miles away from where I was born and where all my family live, so hoping that a lot of the information is available online.

Sign up to Ancestry or Find My Past - you can get a 14 day free trial to see if you like them. I have tried them both but on the whole prefer Ancestry, it has millions of records and tracing your tree without it will be pretty much impossible. I think large libraries/archives also have it available for free, if you can't afford the subscription.

There is a family history topic on here, maybe post on there for tips?

Ah, I didn't realise there was a family history topic. Will request for this to be moved. Thanks!