Skip to the page
Kumbaa
Sign inFree trial

Guides

Guides to family history

Plain, practical guides to keeping a family's photos, tree and stories. Useful whatever you keep them in.

How to digitize family photosScanners or phones, what resolution, which file format, naming, captions, dating and backups.How to make a family treeStart with yourself, ask relatives, record what matters, handle uncertain dates, and share it.Questions to ask your grandparentsOver fifty interview questions by topic, how to record the answers, and how to keep them.Cousin relationships explainedFirst and second cousins, once removed, great- and grand-, half-cousins and in-laws, with examples.How to organize family photosFolders or albums, dating and naming people, getting rid of duplicates, and what to keep.

FAQ

Questions

Where should I start with family history?

Start with what's most at risk: elders who remember things nobody else does, and old photos only they can name. Then build the tree from yourself outwards.

Do I need special equipment to digitize old photos?

No. A phone and a scanning app are enough to begin with. A flatbed scanner gives better results for prints you want to keep or enlarge.

Is there a free way to work out how we're related?

Yes. Kumbaa's free relationship calculator and cousin chart work it out without signing up.

Are these guides about Kumbaa?

Mostly not. They're written to be useful whatever you use, and mention Kumbaa only where it fits.

Related

Relationship calculatorFree relationship calculator: find whether someone is your first cousin once removed, second cousin or great-aunt, with the path spelled out. No sign-up.Family tree templateA free printable family tree template: you, your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, with room for dates and places. Print it or save it as a PDF.FeaturesEverything in a Kumbaa family archive: a walkable tree with photos, faces named once, "How are we related?", tree import, albums, backups and private invites.Grandparents' storiesRecord your grandparents' stories and gather the old family photos while they can still tell you who's in them. Keep it all in one private place for the family.

Your family's tree, photos and stories, in one private place.

Start an archive, invite the family, and let each of them fill in the branch they know best.

Start your 14-day free trial

14 days free. We'll remind you before it ends.