Step 1: Creating a Personal Ancestral File (PAF)

Alright everyone, I know who you are. You are that person sitting at the computer, after reading my first post, going "Wow Sterling, that all sounds tough. How do I partake of this AWESOMENESS?!?!?!" Hahahaha!!! Probably not, but that's how I'll hope you are!! So let's get started:

First, we need to create a PErsonal Ancestral File (PAF for short) of our family and other relatives. To do this, you'll need the following:

1. A PC (sorry Mac and Linux, Paf 5.2 is NOT supported. Consider googling GEDCOM files)
2. Personal Ancestral File version 5.2 (download link HERE, Portable version HERE, )
3. Any information on your family that you can remember (don't fill obligated to add everything at once)
4. Time and patience, it's not easy the first time around!!

Sweet, now we have our tools!! Wo what do we do with them? First, we need to install or open PAF 5. We are then greeted with a screen that tells us to search, open, create a new file, or exit. We want to create a new file. After choosing a destination to save the file to and its name (I recommend your name), we will see a bunch of squares. Double click on the square on the middle left, which will open up a new window. Just type in whatever information you want for yourself, as you will be number 1. ALL FEMALES USE THEIR MAIDEN NAMES ALWAYS!!!

After doing that, slick the save button. Then you can click the box similar to that right below it for your spouse (if you have one) and marriages will appear in the skinny middle box. The huge box at the bottom middle is for children. Your parents are on the right medium rectangles (just now noticed I've been calling them squares, how wrong of me haha!) with father on top, mother on bottom. The arrows by names are to put that person in the "main" position, which is where you first clicked.

That sounds intimidating and tough, right? Don't worry!! You just started, so play around with it a bit!! The worst you can do is screw up your newly created PAF file, which can't be a disaster at all, huh? Enjoy!! :D