This winter, I’ve been teaching a serious of family history
classes at my local archives. The audience is all beginners with less than six months of experience in searching their
ancestors. There is a great deal of information to impart on them and I take my role as their teacher very
seriously. I wanted to give them the best possible advice. They are inspiration
behind today's post.
In preparing for the classes,
I took a long look at my research and genealogy journey to decide what I wish someone had told me back in the beginning. I asked myself, if I had to start again, what would I
do differently.
If I had to start again,
I would create an organization system, from the start and be consistent.
We are so excited for the
hunt for our ancestors, we don’t take the time to save our discoveries adequately
in the beginning. By the time we realize we need a sound organization system,
we are knee deep in genealogy stuff. Creating an organization system in
both paper and digital is critical. Create a workflow, and cheat sheets for
your file systems and file naming systems. File your documents as you find them.
That catch-all folder, whether, it's for paper or digital, it is just an excuse
to put off what you should be doing immediately, keeping your research in an
organized fashion. Create systems, make cheat sheets,
be consistent.
I would interview family members, immediately.
I asked this question of the 25 members of the class, how
many had interviewed their family members. Not
one person raised their hand. Do not dismiss what others may know about your
family history. At some point, you will regret not carrying out those
interviews. I did get to those interviews, and what I learned is that they
contained a wealth of information that could have saved me much work if I just
asked my relatives around me first. It can be a little scary starting those first interviews, but they are worth your time.
I would learn and follow the principles
of GPS.
The best foundation to begin your research is to understand
Genealogical Proof Standard, an excellent
foundation for guiding your research and decision-making process. I learned GPS,
eventually, but had I taken the time upfront, I would have saved myself a great
deal of time in the beginning if I had applied the 5 Steps to Proving Your Family History.
I would cite my sources from day one.
Again, I wish I had taken the time to cite all of my sources,
not the willy-nilly approach I took 15 years ago. I also wish I had invested in
Evidence Explained as a reference manual from the beginning. I know now, I don’t have to commit citations to
memory. Now I have a lot of work in getting my sources and citations under control.
Learn and understand what
information you need to capture for a citation, and take the time to record that
information. Give yourself the ability to retrace your steps, allow others to
retrace your steps and prepare yourself for
writing your family history, even if it is years from now.
I would be very careful with
family trees.
When I started my family tree
online, they were new and all the rage. I certainly didn’t foresee what a
problem they could become. Today, family trees need to have a warning label attached
to them, “For clues only, not to be used as a source.” Today, it is especially important for beginners
to understand the pros and cons of information found in family trees and to
proceed carefully.
I would invest money in my genealogy education.
I wish I had invested some money in my knowledge and
education. I would have been much further along than I am today. Conferences,
webinars, local workshops at archives all provide opportunities to advance your
knowledge of research methods and available resources. You can waste much time searching for information to advance
your research. A little monetary investment can go a long way in making workshops and webinars work for you.
I would visit an archive in the early days of my research.
I started my family history research online. I found Ancestry.com
and began my research. While I was familiar with local archives, it was years into my research before I ventured into one.
I wish I had made that step earlier and stepped out of my comfort zone. I wish
I had overcome my trepidation of archives
earlier in my journey. Today, I volunteer
as a researcher in my local Archives, and
I don’t know what took me so long. Visit
your local archives today.
That’s my list. You might have a few of your own to add to this
list.
Go ahead, finish this sentence, or tweet your answer
If I had to start again, I would......
Happy to hear your comments.