How to Let Go of Those Dead End Leads in Genealogy Research
When someone
begins to make efforts in finding out their
past with genealogy research, they may begin
to run into dead end leads. This happens
when you begin to find something on your
family history, but it ends up going in
circles or leading to the same information
that you have already found. Often times,
information will lead to no new insights at
all. If you begin a search, there are
several ways that you can determine what a
dead end is and how to let go of the dead
end when conducting your family tree
research. The best thing to do, if you have
found a lead that is going nowhere, is to
either validate the information, or drop the
information completely.
The first way to find out if you have a dead
end lead is through the type of resource
that you are using. There are primary and
secondary sources that you will be using
when you are looking for your family
history. A primary source will most likely
include direct links to dates or will be
recorded during the correct time period from
your lineage. Secondary sources make more
assumptions and interpretations. If you
believe that your source is secondary, it is
best to compare it to other sources. If it
doesn't match, then it is a dead end link
and should be recorded as not having the
right information.
While you are searching for your family
history, you can keep track of what led to
the dead end and what you were able to use
in finding accurate information. This will
help you from going around in circles with
the information that you are finding and
will allow you to find new avenues of
information when trying to put together your
history. If you are finding information that
has too many gaps or has been interpreted
through several other sources, then you
should let that particular source go as it
will only lead to more dead ends.
Dead ends are most often
going to be found from false information
that is discovered on websites and search
engines or from secondary sources. Sifting
through the information that is available on
the web and by validating your sources will
help you to get away from genealogy
information that is not correct. There are
several places available that will let you
know whether a website is valid or not. You
can do this by finding more primary sources
out of books and information from
certificates. Websites should also be able
to give you certain site information that
gives it validity.
While websites and search engines can help
direct your search by giving you a basis to
find your information, often times the
information may be misleading and run you
into dead ends. The best way to use websites
and search engines is as a basis for finding
better, primary sources that will lead to
accurate information. For example, if you
find an obituary notice on a search web, you
can validate the information or request more
information from a different source, such as
the Social Security office. This will help
to ensure that you are getting the right
information for your genealogy research.
After you have received a certain amount of
information about your genealogy, you should
look into the holes or gaps that are left
from certain time periods. By doing this,
you will be able to find validated
information about your family. You will be
able to gain clues into whether the
information that you have found is
misleading or is the truth. Finding details
into your family tree is important in
knowing whether what you have found is a
dead end or will help you in finding more
information.
Beginning genealogy research can lead to
several revelations and new understandings
about your family history. However, dead
ends can often times be part of this
process. By knowing how to validate your
information, knowing which resources and
sites will help in gathering new insights,
and knowing when to fill in the gaps to your
search, it will make it easier to trace your
history. By knowing when to take a turn, you
will avoid running into the dead ends of
tracing your history.
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About the Authors
Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook own www.amateur-genealogist.com and
www.our-family-trees.co.uk two of the leading Genealogy Websites. In
addition Paul owns a wide range of exciting websites which can be viewed
at www.paulduxbury.com
