Taking Stock of How We Research

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For those of us that do a lot of Genealogy and Family History work it is importnat to have a plan.  All too often we just start looking for a person without a real direction in mind.  There is not one plan that fits all of us but think about how you research.  

1.  What I like to do is start with the information I have in Family Search on Family Tree and check out what's there.  Is it correct, is it sound and does it make sense?  By checking the record hints on the Person Details Page if there are problems with something you will see a red Exclamation Point alerting you to maybe this isn't right or doesn't make much sense. Correcting that is important.  So figure it out and make the needed correction.  

2.  Then I look for records on Family Search.  Although Family Search defaults to the Records page which often gives you lots of random possibilities I find that the Collections tab right next to the Records Tab can be more helpful.

3.  Then I proceed through the other three partners to see what they have on my person.  Anything that pertains and is not a duplicate record I attach to my person with the FS/RT source linker right in the program.

4.  The next step is analyze the records you have found.  (This seems intuitive but it is not always what people do.  They attach the source and go on to something else.)

5.  Once you have analyzed the records and compiled your information you are ready for the next step.  Ask yourself a few questions?  What am I looking for?  What do I still need?  Be specific.  What kind of record might give me that information?  

6.  If I cannot find that type of record online...then what next?  Go to the FS Research Wiki put in the locality and find out what records are available for that locality and where you will find them.  As an example, if you are searching for a divorce record in CA you will learn that you will not find it online from the Wiki.  You may have to go to Sacramento for the State Archives or contact the County to help you locate the record for a fee.   The importance of the Research Wiki, as well as, reading the description of any record collection before you start ploughing through it will save a lot of time searching in the wrong places.  One thing I am learning is never discount the value of Historical Societies. I called Macon County Missouri HS and got a whole lot more than I dreamed possible just last week.

7.  I like to double check everything once I am done inputing the information into The Tree.  I know this is a good idea for me after all the transposed numbers and typos I can find.

These are just some of the things wanted to share after reading Amy Johnson Crow's blog post about researching for a specific answer.  You can find her here.

http://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/2016/09/23/31-days-better-genealogy-version-2-0/

Amy is running a 31 days of email ideas for letter genealogy right now that is simple and informative.

Remember to Ask yourself a QUESTION to get to the heart of what you need.