Footnotes*

Everyone has two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents, 32 great-great-great grandparents, 64 great-great-great-great grandparents, 128, 256, 512, and on and on. You get the idea: No matter who you are, it’s a big tree.

* Before that second helping of Christmas ham, ask grandma and grandpa about some family anecdotes. They’ll probably be flattered, and the stories sometimes contain valuable clues that will come in handy later. Then you can start filling out a pedigree chart starting with your name, birth date, birthplace, wedding dates and other data, and then your parents’ and their parents’ and so on. This will give you a place to start.

* It’s impossible to talk about genealogy without mentioning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of their religious tenets, the Mormons keep extensive genealogical records and provide free public access. The Family History Library at the Mormon Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles has U. S. Census reports, ship passenger lists and other records dating to George Washington’s time, available on microfilm.

* The Internet has many sites dedicated to genealogical research. The Web site www.cyndislist.com offers more than 57,000 links to genealogical Web pages and online databases. The National Archives Web site, www.nara.gov/genealogy/, offers a great deal of valuable information.

* Closer to home, the Immigrant Genealogical Library, 1310 Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, has a collection of resources, mostly for German ancestry, but for other ethnic groups as well. Library hours are Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays and Wednesdays, noon-5 p.m. A membership costs $20 a year; nonmembers pay $2 a visit. (818) 348-6444.