In Part 1 of this article, I discussed the importance of solid research as it relates to serendipity in genealogy, and I listed the first 20 of 46 activities that researchers were engaged in when they received promptings or insight in their work. This article continues that list.
- Sign guest registers in archives and on websites that have them.
- Write letters to relatives, repositories, and other genealogists.
- Ignore family pride and political prejudice. Look for truth. Soldiers may have fought on the “wrong” side, belonged to a “different” church, changed names, had a second family, etc.
- Identify your brick wall as completely as you can. Clarifying your problem may be part of the solution.
- Organize your records so you can use, find, and share them easily. Make brief summaries of your research findings (create pedigree charts, timelines, and family group records for example). People who find your loose papers to be bulky may not trash a document showing your results.
- It helps to know the natural course of life: ages at which people typically marry, have children, buy land, die, etc.
- Study broadly as well as in depth. Study extended family, the community, and the patterns in the society.
- Talk to your deceased ancestors.
- Write a research report.
- Don’t try to force a pedigree to come together.
- Look for a complete picture. Example: If a person was excommunicated, was he reinstated?
- Ask questions. Questions raised in genealogy are often more important than the answers found.
- Copy information at the time it is found or presented. You may not find it again if you don’t.
- Visit graveyards.
- Become involved in genealogy projects: index records or transcribe cemetery records. If possible do the whole cemetery, not just your surnames.
- Read genealogical journal articles, including footnotes and bibliographies.
- Question the same person more than once.
- Don’t be so focused on your family names that you can’t accept material that “falls” into your hands on other names.
- Don’t sweat inconveniences. They may be the very thing that helps you find information.
- Take time to browse the shelves of a library or research facility. Take along a research log as you browse.
- Network with others and use teamwork. Involve family members in your research: children, spouses, siblings, extended family, even friends. Pool information to solve problems.
- Join a genealogical society.
- Don’t burn family papers--either yours or ones you inherit. If you don’t want to keep them, donate them. (Organize them before donating them.)
- Help someone else reach his or her research goals. For example: Help organize and publish the research. Many unfinished projects are gold mines that need a finisher.
- Be sensitive with sensitive information. Other people, including your ancestors, may care what you pass on about them. Your discretion or lack of it may determine whether you have their help and confidence.
- Learn about the area your ancestors lived in with maps.
I hope my list of activities will help you be successful in your family history research.
