Where to start...

[has]

Just a very basic question but any answers will point me in the right direction.

If I were to try to trace my family tree, where do I start? What I mean is, I would have only limited info avail. regarding my grandparents, so do I start with my maternal grandmother/father or paternal grandmother/father?
Any other info will be greatley appreciated.
Does it cost any/much money to trace a family tree?

[craft1948]

Depends how much you want to do. You can use ancestry.co.uk free at your library but as I use it so much I subscribe directly for about £85.00 per year....you can also build your tree on this site if you so wish.
If you have your grandparents birth certificates that is a great help as this will show their parents names, including their mothers' maiden names. Ancestry is also very good with advice on getting started....oh and quite a few people will help you on here if you get stuck.

[dothawkes31]

yes craft is spot on, you need to do some information gathering first from those around you in the family, start off being organised and make notes about everything you are told, no matter how strange it sounds, as there will always be some measure of truth in those family legends!
see this article:
http://www.theanswerb...amily-history-part-1/

[echokilo]

The other answers are quite comprehensive - but I would add the genesreunited.co.uk is really helpful - I think there is a fee but from memory it's only £5 a year or so - as you can search other peoples trees and find some great connections - but I would always advise you to double check any information you are given as occasionally it can lead you up the garden path!! Also, your local history centre may well have a subsciption with ancestry.co.uk which you can use free of charge ....... but as others have said before me, lots of us will be happy to help, advise and I will look up anything specific you might need to know in order to get started - but start on paper and capture as much as you know ..... and don't forget to get out there and "interview" your oldest relatives while you can - hate to be morbid but nothing is worse than no having the chance to ask them questions before they are gone!

[has]

Many thanks for your advice guys.

[Wak]

When you get quite a lot of information you are going to need something to store it in.
I suggest going to the following site of the Latterday Saints and downloading their FREE program called Personal Ancestral File.
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp
It allows you to store any kind of info you may have, including photos, personal notes, etc.
I have used it for many years now and have never needed any other program.
This site can also provide a lot of family history data prior to the 1850's as they seemed to stop collecting the info after the official B.M.D. records started in the UK.

[Dodger666]

Once you get back to the 19th century you will find www.freebmd.org.uk very useful.

Don't rely on anything you get off the Internet as it has been transcribed and mistakes to occur in transcription. Check what you find with the original records.