What really contributes to success in proving hard-to-find ancestors? Here are some genealogy success lessons you won’t learn in class:
- Before you invest your time and effort in searching for a hard-to-find ancestor–VERIFY the information you already have. Can you document the names, the dates, and the places? Begin from a base of strength–and reality. Error based on error is always wrong.
- Chart and graph your data, your conclusions, and your sources so you can focus on how they fit together and where the gaps are. Do the same with the new evidence you collect to help you stay on track.
- Do the hard searches too–not just the indexed census records online. Get the documents and read them.
- You already know that your interest in ancestors and genealogy do not interest 80% of the people you are acquainted with. And the other 20% are glad that you are involved and out of their hair. Congregate with people who share your passion.
- Ask for help when you encounter evidence you don’t understand. And look for strategies that will resolve the challenges you face.
- Express gratitude for whatever you receive from others–in writing–no matter where you are in your research, things get worse when gratitude is lacking. Gratitude is the link that keeps you connected to all things good.
- Forgive yourself for past errors, for not always doing things correctly. And forgive others for undocumented details. Do not bemoan the common frailties of human activity. Just do a better job yourself!
- Go into the theatre of your mind and replay the relationships between your proven ancestors their neighbors, their business associates, their daily acquaintances–regardless of their surnames. All relatives do not carry the same name! Common sense says they are or will be related if the locality is a valley surrounded by mountains where they interact with each other.
Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://www.arleneeakle.com
PS If you know a genealogist who is as passionate about ancestors as you are, tell them about my blogs. Tell them they are meat not fluff. And just one tip that points you in the right direction, is worth the reading time. People don’t read any more. Newspapers are disappearing, serious and in-depth treatments of historical events are being replaced by short, pithy comments by professional writers who often get paid by the word. The more short, superficial treatments they turn out, the more they make. No footnotes, no bibliographies of sources and other materials that we can access.
Tell your friends that my blogs will make them think about their pursuit of ancestors in a different way.