Many people start their journey into genealogy research as a hobby, mostly because it’s fun, enlightening, and quite addictive. Needless to say, none of us were pros from day one, and we’ve made our own fair share of rookie mistakes. But the beautiful thing about making mistakes is that they give us the chance to learn something new and exciting, and to improve our skills!
That being said, encountering too many mistakes and dead ends in beginning genealogy research can also become frustrating and rather off-putting; many beginners we know quit because of their errors and the constant need for backtracking to fix those mistakes.
So, to ensure that doesn’t happen to you, we’ve listed some helpful tips that will help make your foray into genealogy research a more pleasant and rewarding experience.
Don’t Jump to The Online Resources Right Away
Many beginners make the mistake of taking their genealogy research online immediately. We understand how that might be a tempting approach with the incredible amount of resources that are available online. However, it might not be the best place to start.
Ideally, you should begin by examining records and resources that you already have at home. This can include anything from old documents to photos, diaries, family bibles, and so on. Perhps one of the most important tips we can suggest is to be sure that you talk to any older relatives you might have in order to learn about what they already know—you’ll still have to verify everything they tell you, but it will save you a lot of time – and the stories and reminiscences they can share with you can be fascinating, as well!
Going online right away can be overwhelming due to the sheer volume of information you’ll encounter, which can make it difficult to even decide where to begin!
Verify the Family Tree You’ve Found Online
If you’ve found a family tree that was built by someone online that contains some of your ancestors,, don’t forget that these trees were created by others who are just as fascinated as you are by family research – and the trees unfortunately may be based on incorrect assumptions and contain any number of errors. Never accept the information in another tree at face value. If there are no sources attached to the profiles, this should send up an immediate red flag. Always do your own research to verify anything you might find online – failure to do that can lead to a tree that is unreliable and fraught with errors. Any assumption you make about an ancestor in your tree should be supported by good source material. The very best sources are ‘BDMs’ – short for the invaluable record set that includes Birth, Death and Marriage certificates/records.
Cite Your Resources Right Away
Many family researchers, especially hobby genealogists, fail to cite their sources because they believe it’s only necessary if you’re publishing your work. But the truth is that with all the hard work that goes into genealogy research, it’s a huge mistake not to cite sources while you work. You may have to backtrack to recheck a fact or to find more information, and you won’t be able to because, without citations, your research is basically a labyrinth.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to professional genealogy research. If you want to explore more tips and resources, you can check out DavisDNA And Family Research. They offer traditional and genetic genealogy services and many helpful resources on their website.
Contact them for more details about traditional genealogy services to help you find biological parent.
