Jane
|
TipsThere is nothing more frustrating than finding out the ancestors you've been so diligently searching aren't really yours. That the hours and money you've spent on your research has been wasted. That the ancestors you've come to know and love aren't connected to you by history or blood. Yet, it happens to most of us at one time or another. Genealogy research isn't perfect. A lack of records, incorrect data, and embellished family stories can easily send us off in the wrong direction.
How can we avoid this heartbreaking result in our own family research? It isn't always possible to avoid wrong turns, but these steps may help keep you from barking up the wrong family tree.
Don't Skip Generations
Even if you think you know everything about yourself and your parents, you shouldn't skip directly to your grandparents. Or your immigrant ancestor. Or the famous person that you've been told you're descended from. Working your way back one generation at a time greatly lessens your chances at attaching the wrong ancestor to your family tree, because you'll have the supporting documents - birth records, marriage certificates, census records, etc. - to support the link between each generation.
|
Dotty
|
How trueI have had an experience where I thought a family was my g.g.grandparents but when I really checked they were actually a sort of cousin...
Dotty 
|
Jane
|
Don't Make Assumptions About Family Relationships
Family terms such as "Junior" and "Senior" as well as "aunt" and "cousin" were often used very loosely in earlier times - and still are, even today. A designation of Jr., for example, may have been used in official records to identify between two men of the same name, even if they were unrelated (the younger of the two being called "Jr."). You also shouldn't assume relationships between people living in a household unless it is specifically stated. The sole adult-aged female listed in your great-great grandfather's household, may indeed be his wife - or it could be a sister-in-law or family friend.
|
Jane
|
Document, Document, Document
I can't stress it enough how important it is in genealogy to write down how and where you find your information. If it was found on a Web site, write down the title of the site, the URL and the date. It is also helpful to either copy the information word-for-word, or print out hard copies for reference in case the data is taken offline or changes. If the data came from a book or microfilm, write down the title, author, publisher, publication date and the repository. If your family information came from a relative, document who the information came from and when the interview took place. There will be many times when you'll run across conflicting data, and you'll need to know where your information came from.
|
Jane
|
Does it Make Sense?
Constantly review all new information that you add to your family tree to make sure that it is at least plausible. If the date of your ancestor's marriage is only 7 years after they were born, for example, you have a problem. The same goes for two children born less than 9 months apart, or children born before their parents. Does the birth place listed in the census correlate with what you've learned about your ancestor? Have you possibly skipped a generation? Look at the information you've gathered and ask yourself, "Does this make sense?"
|
Jane
|
Get Organized
The more organized your genealogy research, the less likely that you'll mix up information or make other simple, but deadly, mistakes. Choose a filing system that works with the way you do research, making sure that it includes a way to organize both your papers and certificates, and your digital documents and other computer files.
|
Dotty
|
Save, save, save...If you work on the PC then save your work regularly and in more than one place. Accidents happen...I speak from experience! Use your hard drive and also a CD or floppy disk.
Never use your original documents. Use photocopies.
Jane, if these don't fit on this thread then move them or remove them!
Dotty 
|
Guy
|
Kill off your ancestors.
Finding dates of death or burial of ancestors can rule out the possibility of assigning a birth or baptism to the wrong couple.
In a similar manner when finding a birth or baptism look in the deaths or burial registers in case that child died in infancy.
Cheers
Guy
|
Dotty
|
Works for me...Well Guy, that's one way...
Thanks for the suggestion!
TTFN
Dotty 
|
|
|
|