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eLearning Series: Geneology
My Family Tree is Important to Me
( 50 articles in this series )
How
To Avoid The Wrong Family Tree
For anyone into genealogy there is nothing
more frustrating than doing hours and sometimes day’s worth
of research only to find that you have been looking
at bad information or even in the wrong family. It is a problem that
plagues everyone who has ever dabbled in genealogy and one
that you should try to avoid. Obviously it wastes your time,
it can lead you down long incorrect roads, and it can really
be frustrating. So how do you avoid this pitfall? Well there
is no one magic answer to keeping yourself from barking up
the wrong family tree, but there are some tips that may help
you end up on the wrong path a little less frequently. Take
a look at these eight tips and you will lessen your frustrations
as you seek out your family history and heritage.
First and foremost, always
keep track of all of your resources. When you get new information, write down where you got it.
If it was a book, get the title, the author, publisher, and
even the ISBN or ISSN number so that you will know where you
got the information and where to get more if you find yourself
in need of more information down the road from the same resource.
If you get information from a relative, write down from whom
you got it and when you conducted the interview. Information
is a big part of this hobby so make sure you know where you
are getting yours.
Second, along those same lines, keep
yourself organized. When
you are organized you are less likely to mix up information
and get yourself off track. Put together some sort of filing
system, both for print and for your computer documents. That
way, when you need a birth certificate you are sure you have,
you will know where to look for it. Also, if you want to review
information you have previously recorded, you will know exactly
where it is on your computer or in y our files.
Third, double
check everything. That is, make sure that things
make sense before you just assume they are right. For example,
if your great, great grandmother was born in 1810, she probably
did not get married in 1815 and was likely not a mother in
1820. The same goes for any other chronology of dates or events.
Just always make sure things are making sense before you keep
going down a wrong path.
The fourth thing you should do to keep things straight is
to be very careful about scams. There are a lot of scams out
there that are designed to take advantage of those who are
into genealogy. For instance, you may get the mail order brochure
that offers to get you all the information you need on whatever
family you are researching. Do not fall for this, since most
of these are not researched and use only phone listings and
other unreliable information to come up with what is supposed
to be a family history. You are always better off doing your
own research. In addition, remember that anything you hear
about that sounds too easy, is probably a scam.
Fifth, make
sure you are very specific when you make notes
and share information. Date formats vary from country to country
so make sure you are clear about month, date, and year. Also,
be very clear with your writing and with which names are surnames
and which ones are given names. That way, when it comes time
to ask others for help, everything is clear.
Sixth, to keep things accurate make
sure you are not assuming things about families and relationships. In earlier times,
a step child was sometimes called a son in law or a relative
that was not a sister or brother was called a cousin no matter
what the actual relationship was.
Seventh, in order to avoid following down paths you are not
sure about, make sure you review and verify conclusions you
have come to. There is often a lot of conflicting information
within families as you do your research, especially if it from
farther back. By taking time to verify, you may actually save
yourself more time down the road.
Finally, give yourself the opportunity to succeed by advertising
the surnames for which you are searching. Post them online
with genealogy websites and get the information to any genealogical
societies to which you belong. If you do not belong to any,
it is something you might consider since they often have resources
you may not be able to get on your own.
Genealogy is fun, but it can also be frustrating. To avoid
the frustration of chasing bad information or the wrong family,
follow these eight tips. You will enjoy genealogy much more
when you know you are looking at correct information.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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