I was researching my family tree over the weekend, and realized that I had missed a number of opportunities to find a particular ancestor that I have been researching for several months. Have you ever missed a great opportunity to find one of your long-lost ancestors?
Research, particularly on the Internet, can be very interesting. However, the Internet has its share of challenges, primarily because we are bombarded with information that has, frankly, nothing to do with our research. Anyone who has done any family tree research online, probably has experienced researching a name for hours only to discover that lead was a dead end. We saw lots of documents, names, places, dates, but failed to find a single piece of evidence that adds to our understanding of our own family tree.
After one unproductive afternoon, I realized that I needed to regroup and focus my research. Here's what I did:
- Reviewed my notes, to make sure that I knew exactly who I was looking for;
- Wrote down the facts on a separate fact sheet – name, birth date, date of death, spouse, children, etc.;
- Recorded known spellings for the first, middle, and last names as well as possible alternatives – Matthew, Mathew, Matthiew, Mathiew, Mathieu, Matthieu, Matt, Mat, etc.;
- Recorded where I had found other information about this ancestor – Census forms (which ones), Family Bible, scrapbooks, Church records, Birth records, Marriage records, Death records, Township records, Passenger lists, etc.;
- Started with my favorite online sources, like Ancestry.com
and tried to follow up on each possible spelling and name combination.
- When I have finished that search, I tried my next favorite website and completed the same searches.
I have found in the past that taking the time to get organized before I start my online research usually pays off in the long run. I may not find the ancestor I'm looking for, BUT I save time by concentrating on a particular person and not just searching aimlessly through names and databases. For more information about using online databases see my Ancestry.com - Helping You Discover Your Heritage webpage.
Have you had a similar experience? Take a few minutes to let us know how you resolved the search.
I enjoy researching new tools and techniques and, more importantly I enjoy discovering my heritage. If you are already a member of All-About-Family-Trees.com, take a moment to add your story in the Chat Forum. If you are not a member, then take a few minutes and join our community. Simply click on the link at the top right of the page, create a username and be sure to signup for our weekly newsletter. As an added bonus, I'll send you a free copy of my e-book '10 "Must Know" Tips to Uncover Your Heritage'.
I look forward to seeing you in the forum.
