Usually, the names of family members are entered in boxes (square for males and circular for females): in addition to the name and surname, there is often other useful information such as a photo, date, and place of birth and death, or the relationship of kinship with the descendant, the profession carried out and the possible nickname by which he was known in the family.
The research can be carried out both using own means and making use of external professionals .
In the first case, various sources of information can be used: the first and most immediate is obviously direct knowledge; you can start by asking relatives still alive (brothers, parents, uncles, cousins, grandparents) to provide the first information regarding the names and dates of birth of the closest relatives. This way you can usually easily trace back to your great grandparents .
Subsequently, it is possible to contact the entities that store this type of data, in particular the Municipalities and Parishes. In the municipal and parish registers we can collect further information (and also correct others in the event that relatives have “forgotten” dates of birth or other details) and take a further step “back” in time.