Philip.

Whilst I wait for my Grandfather's birth certificate, can I please ask you a couple of practical questions.

Are there any recognised genealogy abbreviations for relatives I.e. Grandfather, Great Grandfather, etc. etc. to save typing them long hand every time?

Should I always explain individuals relationships relevant to myself. Is there a protocol for this?

With the information that I already have, plus any to be learnt in the future, is there a generally recognised piece of software on which to record my information?

I would like to start to build up the family tree with all of the relevant pieces of information I already have to hand, but do not want to do this with something like Microsoft Powerpoint if there is specific industry recognised database software out there that will make the job easier to enter and swap between other parties.

Finally, the references you refer to e.g. West Derby 8b 328, although you explained what they mean, where are they available from? Is this something that you have to subscribe to for on-line access?

I hope that you don't mind me picking your brains, but as you can see I have 'got the bug' and thought that I could be doing something useful while I am waiting for new information to arrive.

Many thanks

Keith.