The first place to start with your own personal family tree is to ask living relatives about their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts.

You can't start out by saying my Grandpa is Al Jahnke. As much as I would be glad to help you out, if your grandfather is still living, ask him about his family. Or you could see if he has a brother or sister and ask them.

The first place would be to start with your parents and find out what they know. Even an aunt or uncle may know things about your family that others don't.

And because of identity theft, it's wise to get first hand information before you start asking questions about your relatives. It's not safe to put it out on the Internet.

If I can help you further, you can email me at:

caryanddanielle@juno.com.

Cary C.