Everyone who gave me advice told me: “Begin With Yourself”
When I began to do genealogy, that is the advice I was given by several knowledgeable family historians.
It was good advice.
I should have followed it. Right then, instead of later.
Here are a few of the most important tips that I received:
1. Get Organized First!
Before you gather up a mountain of information and get buried in paper, decide HOW you’re going to organize what you find.
Notebooks? File folders in different colors? Family tree software? Phone apps? Your tablet?
Choose a system or method that fits who you are and is easy for you to keep doing. While I use a family tree program now, I began with paper group sheets, paper pedigrees, and file folders rather than Windows folders.
Now, I’m gradually putting the information into a family tree program to make it easier to share with family members. And I love how easy it is to do that with the software.
2. Start Researching With Yourself!
Fill out a Family Group Sheet and Pedigree Chart, beginning with yourself. Gather your information, your birth certificates, and make copies of them for your genealogy files.
Once you’ve filled in your group sheets and pedigree charts as far back as you can go – then the blank spots will highlight the areas for further research.
3. Document Your Sources!
When you enter information into your group sheet(s) or pedigree charts, you need to document each source, whether it’s Aunt Sally’s personal knowledge, a file at the courthouse, or your own personal knowledge, because no matter how much you think you’ll never forget where that info came from, at some point, you probably will.
Many of the family tree software programs incorporate citing your sources as part of the process, and while it takes more time, it sure is great when you go back later and wonder where that bit of information came from!
I like to use “Evidence Explained: History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace 3rd Edition Revised” by Elizabeth Shown Mills. It’s “the” source that everyone quotes, and if there’s anything she missed including in her book, I sure haven’t found it yet and her ‘cheat sheet’ “QuickSheet: Citing Ancestry Databases & Images Evidence Style 2nd Edition” is a handy tool to keep by your computer!
4. Use a Research Log!
When you begin to research, make a list or log that documents where you searched, what you found, and whether you found anything or not. Click here to print out a free log to track your research.
That will let you return to the same source to search again if you want or need to do so. It also keeps you from looking for new information in a place that has already been searched.
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I do not promote products that I do not use or do not believe in. However, it is always best to do your own research on products to make certain that they are a good fit for you and your family.