Scratch that
By now, we know we all make mistakes, right?
Here are some common errors that FamilySearch recently posted. And I am guilty of many of these…
Focus solely on individual: Family members, Associates and Neighbors can all lead you further along to corroborate records and stories for you relative and relatives family. Not being too limited in research can help you find if your ancestor is living with siblings, cousins, grandparents, which in turn can further your tree and confirm what you found in other records. Learn about FAN research.
Chicken scratch or poor note taking: Remember when you found that one record, that was intriguing but didn’t quite line up but now maybe it does?…do you know where you found it? Keep records as you go, so that you know where you have been and where you still need to look. I am not great at this, but getting better as I try to help others and write out where I went to find what I found. I still don’t love doing it, but it is nice having a record with links and or images attached to keep it all in one place or file.
One name spelling– The way names are spelled now has evolved over time, culture, dialects and language. Names started to standardized in early 19th century but immigration, culture and mispronunciation all could change what name ended up in the records.
Vague research goals- So Guilty! I don’t often have a written plan before starting out. I see a lone name with a birth date and know the person lived to be old enough to marry, but did they? I start looking for a possible marriage or a census where they are living with known family, even as a boarder. Sometimes it was just easier to write “boarder” or “Visitor” than the real relation of sister-in-law, wife’s aunt, etc. So again, do the FAN research, and have at least a general idea of what and where you are looking for family.
Hopping too often from family to family. Sound similar to bird-walking? That can be part of that…Guilty!
Start too far back– This is where I question the correctness of Hopechest and findaname when it connects to FamilySearch. Same thing with Ancestry trees. If you want to work your way back, start with yourself and verify each generation. You may think you know all there is, but I’m guessing you will be surprised and learn family stories at every generation as you get back to the desired ancestor to research.
Insist no record exists if it’s not found on the first search- Sometimes as I work with people and find no results they thing it doesn’t and won’t ever exist. And they might be right, but it only takes one person somewhere to have, record and share that information or record. So don’t give up, keep looking. It may take years to find what you are searching for, just keep pecking at all, but don’t get stuck on it. There is so much more family to discover!
Ready for more? See how you do with the next set of common mistakes.
