Genealogy: (Re)Search and Discovery!

You are no doubt aware of how long a search for a particular ancestor may take. But have you ever given any thought to how many times you may inadvertently cover the same ground?

When your search starts to take you back a few generations, you can start getting confused. Most of the searches you do will either be online or at a church, chapel or a cemetery. You may even have ventured to a Family History Research center. You need to start making notes as to where you have looked, to prevent doubling up on your efforts.

Since most of us are doing research online, this takes on special significance. Because there are many sites to search, it is a good idea to make yourself a sort of check list as you look, this way you can use this as a template, not only in this search but all the ones you will do in future.

Check lists, templates? Before you click off this page, thinking I am a sandwich short of a picnic, let me explain. You will find through the course of your research that you are going to be repeating the same tasks over and over, in the quest to find different relatives. Having a checklist will allow you to keep an accurate records of what you find (or don't find) and where. This will also serve to give you the means to go quickly to sites where you have had better luck on previous searches.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is email. Often on searches you do on Rootsweb.com and Familysearch.com (just to name two internet sites that I find are great), an email address is often attached to a listing that can allow you to contact the person who uploaded the information. You may find out this is a relative of yours you never knew existed. I have found numerous cousins in this very manner.

Writing to these people allows you to not only expand your family tree, but often can lead you to some wonderful anecdotes of your family members. I have been able to learn about a brother of my grandmother that had died shortly after his birth in 1895, but no one knew about him and my grandmother had never mentioned him. We were able to obtain a handwritten letter from my great-grandmother that spoke of this child. Not only did we have a confirmation of a piece of the tree, but a cherished memory in the handwriting of an ancestor. What a find!

Always keep looking for new information and digging in the least likely places...you never know what you will learn!

In my next article you can learn how things like travel and oral histories can unlock memories and give you clues to your past, and open your eyes to things you never knew.