Researching your Past...Tips To Remember

 

 

 

 Granny Lizzie. This picture was taken between 1905-1907.





When researching your family history it is imperative to be organized. As you add more people to your family tree, you'll need to keep notes on each person especially your direct ancestors. For example, most of my great grandmothers and great great grandmothers are named Elizabeth. I have a separate file for each of them so that I do not get confused. Creating a file will also allow you to get to know them better as you add to it and eventually you will know them as if you've met them. If you have old pictures, I would definitely save them digitally. My mom received this box from her father's house when he died and inside were tons of photos. Unfortunately we only recognized a handful of people but she kept them all because it was possible they were family. I used to look at those pictures and it made me sad that we did not know everyone in those photos and it is what led me to start researching our genealogy. We decided to save them digitally because they were really old and they would eventually fade away. Saving the photos digitally allows you to later share them electronically with newly found family members who could help you identify them, which is what happened in our case. We still haven't identified them all but I believe that we will eventually.

If you do not have one now, I would suggest purchasing a large family bible. Most importantly one with a large section to add your family information. My mom has one and as I find new people they are added to the bible. She also keeps all the obituaries in the bible which are always helpful. They are a gold mine of information. I often refer back to a persons obit when I hit a brick wall on their line. There is always a chance that you missed some detail or that there is a relative listed that can help you bridge the gap. It also creates a family history that can be added to and passed down to later generations.

Genealogy research can oft times be frustrating but the keys to researching your family history is curiosity, patience and flexibility. With those key traits in mind you'll be able to navigate around any brick wall you find. Happy searching!