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Shaking the family tree
Genealogy, or researching the history of
your family, can be a fun and valuable hobby. You will get the
opportunity to learn where you come from, what your family history
is all about, and if anyone in your family was involved in
historical events. The hardest part of getting into genealogy for
a lot of people is getting started. They just don't seem to have
direction or an idea of how to get going with the search. The best
way to get started is actually by getting four things set so that
the process is easier. Make sure you have a plan, keep track of a
goal, have wide goals, and develop a set of methods that suits you
best.
The best first step to take in genealogy is to make sure you have
some sort of idea where you want to go. You will have to set a
goal so that no matter what you do online or in the library you
are always focused on an end. If you constantly review your
information and goals, you will be able to make sure you are
always headed in a direction that will aid you in reaching your
genealogy goals. The goal doesn't have to be complex, just make
sure you have something in mind that will help you find your way
through your family tree and will keep you focused.
Once you have come up with the specific genealogy goal you want to
pursue, make sure you have it in front of you all the time. Keep a
hard copy of your goal or your list of goals in front of you as
you research. Handwritten or even printed index cards, a notebook,
or notes on a desk top calendar all work well to keep your goals
right in front of you. By having goals in front of you at all
times, you will be able to stay more focused on what exactly it is
that you want. With all of the information available on the
internet it can be easy to get distracted or sidetracked by other
information. This way, you can keep your focus and achieve goals
and reach milestones with more frequency.
Third in genealogy research, is to make sure that
you pursue your stated goal with a broad stroke. Meaning that you
should avoid the temptation to focus your search on a certain site
or a certain library and instead go broad to allow yourself a
better chance of success. For instance, if there is a very
specific relative you want to learn about, but about whom you only
know a name and a place of death. Your temptation might be just
search for his name or on a website with information on the city
or town where he died. Instead, brush with a broader stroke and
begin your search on someone in the family you know more about.
Perhaps you know a lot more about his son. Begin by searching for
more information on the son and his family to focus you on that
section of the family. You will be surprised at how often you will
stumble on clues to what your original focus was anyway, by using
this method.
Finally, be prepared to learn your own little way of doing things.
That seems simple, but not everyone is so prepared. What you
should do is put together strategies that have worked for you in
your search so that you can use them for other genealogy searches.
For instance, many people like to run all of their family members'
names through all available search engines. You can use this
method and even add other keywords or search terms that might pull
genealogy or legal record websites to the top of your results. No
matter what method you use, try to remember which methods have
worked best for you in the past and add them to your process so
that you become more efficient the more you work on genealogy.
Tracing back through your family can be a lot of fun. With the
increasing popularity and broadening of the internet, many more
people are beginning to take up genealogy as a hobby. If you want
to get started in this fun hobby, there are four things you should
keep in mind. Make sure you have a plan, set and keep track of
your goals, brush broad strokes in your searches, and continually
develop your own process for success. Once you are ready, the
process itself will be much more enjoyable.
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