Introductory Genealogy Course
Tracing Your Roots: Building the Foundations
Learn from the experts and begin your family history with confidence, structure, and sound methods.
Learn how to move from scattered names and hopeful searches to a clear, evidence-led approach to genealogy.
Course Fee
Online IHGS Course
Build your family history research on sound foundations.
Start with the foundations, then build your family's story one proven record at a time.
Beginner-friendly
Designed for people starting family history or rebuilding their research from stronger foundations.
Evidence-led
Learn to work from records, context, and careful reasoning instead of copied trees or guesswork.
Flexible study
Study online through IHGS and build skills you can use across every branch of your family tree.
The Course
A clear starting point for real family history research.
Tracing Your Roots: Building the Foundations is an introductory IHGS course created to help new family historians understand how genealogy works before the research gets tangled.
It gives you a practical foundation for reading clues, judging evidence, and following records with more confidence.
Start Strong
Genealogy for Beginners Starts with Good Foundations
Many people begin researching their family tree using online hints, copied family trees, or information passed down through generations. While these can provide useful clues, successful genealogy research depends on understanding records, evaluating evidence, and following a structured research process.
Tracing Your Roots: Building the Foundations introduces the core principles used by experienced genealogists and provides a practical starting point for anyone new to family history research. This genealogy for beginners course helps learners develop a sound method from their first searches.
What You'll Learn
Foundations you can keep building on.
This introductory course is built for early-stage researchers who want a proper method from the beginning.
Start with what you know
Turn family memories, photographs, certificates, and inherited details into usable research clues.
Follow the evidence
Understand why reliable genealogy depends on records, context, and careful comparison.
Avoid common mistakes
Learn why repeating names, shifting ages, and tempting online hints need to be handled carefully.
Build good habits
Keep your research organised so each discovery strengthens the next step instead of creating confusion.
Read records with purpose
Look beyond names and dates to find relationships, places, occupations, and historical context.
Plan the next search
Know what to look for next and how to ask better questions of the records you find.
Your Family Tree
Learn How to Research Your Family Tree with Genealogy for Beginners
Building a family tree is about more than collecting names and dates. Every record contains clues that can help reveal relationships, occupations, migrations, and the stories of the people who came before us.
This genealogy for beginners course helps learners develop the skills needed to find records, interpret evidence, organise research, and make more confident discoveries about their ancestors.
Study Your Way
A focused course you can fit around real life.
Tracing Your Roots is built for learners who want a clear starting point without committing to a long qualification pathway straight away.
Work through the foundations, strengthen your method, and decide where your research journey should go next.
Course Fee
Start with a practical foundation for family history research.
Learn a structured method from IHGS and build confidence before your research gets tangled.
Who This Is For
For family historians who want to begin properly.
- Complete beginners who are not sure where to start
- People with a few names and dates who want a better method
- Researchers who feel overwhelmed by online hints and conflicting trees
- Anyone who wants a sound foundation before moving into more advanced study
Why IHGS
Learn from The School of Family History.
IHGS is a leading authority in British Isles family history education, helping students move from curiosity to careful research.
Trusted expertise
Study with an institution dedicated to genealogical and heraldic education.
About IHGSBritish Isles focus
Build skills that support research into English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish family lines.
Beyond shaky hints
Public family tree sites can spread mistakes quickly when hint suggestions are accepted before the records are checked. IHGS teaches you how to question clues, verify evidence, and avoid building on someone else's error.
A path forward
Use this foundation as a stepping stone into wider IHGS genealogy courses.
For U.S. Students
Ideal for American Family Historians
Many American family trees eventually lead to ancestors from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Understanding how to evaluate records and build evidence-based research skills creates a strong foundation for tracing family lines across generations and across borders.
The methods taught in this course can be applied to family history research in the United States and around the world. They make genealogy for beginners more confident, structured, and reliable from the outset.
Continue Learning
Continue Your Genealogy Journey
A genealogy for beginners pathway can lead from first records to more advanced family history study.
Awaken Your Ancestors
Build your confidence with a broader introduction to researching your family history.
Explore Awaken Your AncestorsHigher Certificate in Genealogy
Take a structured next step toward advanced research knowledge and professional skills.
Explore the Higher Certificate in GenealogyGenealogy Courses
Find flexible courses for every stage of family history research.
Browse Genealogy CoursesBitesize Courses
Develop focused knowledge in specific records, methods, and research topics.
Browse Bitesize Courses
Your Story Didn't Start With You
Every record you understand brings another generation into view.
The right foundation helps you move from names on a screen to the lives, places, and choices that shaped your family.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this genealogy course suitable for complete beginners?
Yes. Tracing Your Roots: Building the Foundations was created specifically for people who are new to genealogy and family history research.
Do I need a family tree already started?
No. The course is suitable whether you are beginning your first family tree or looking to improve research you have already started.
Can I take this course from the United States?
Yes. The course is delivered online and is available to students throughout the United States and around the world.
What course should I take after this one?
Many students continue their genealogy education through the IHGS Higher Certificate in Genealogy, Bitesize Courses, and Anytime Talks.
Enroll Online
Enroll in Tracing Your Roots: Building the Foundations.
Begin with the foundations. Build the story from there.
USD amounts are approximate, based on 1 GBP = 1.3408 USD on 16 June 2026. Final charges may vary by exchange rate and payment provider.