First Steps
BE DECISIVE
Your first step should be decision making.
BE ORGANIZED
This is one of the most important skills you need. As you embark on research you will discover a multitude of useful reference websites. You could Bookmark them or store them in your Favourites folder but the number of links can quickly accumulate and clog your bookmarks. (With apologies to Apple users of which I know little, I am sure there are similar options available on the Mac system.)
In Windows Explorer, create a directory and name it Gen Toolbox and within that directory create new folders: e.g. Libraries, Military, Census, etc.
The above steps may seem labour intensive when typing the web address into the Browser achieves the same result, but the ability to quickly find the website you want is the advantage of having a Gen Toolbox in Explorer. When you have hundreds of links (and you will) being organized in advance will bring you great joy and minimal frustration.
BE METHODICAL
Keep a record of where you have searched to avoid duplication of work and time. Cataloguing source material is something you should do routinely - ensure that your research has a source. It is easy to hazard a guess that the information is correct, but unless you can prove it, or someone else has proof that the data is accurate, don’t consider it to be legitimate. Accepting someone else’s research without source data can require major revisions to your tree if you later discover that the data is incorrect.
Your first step should be decision making.
- Are you going to research your paternal line or your maternal line?
- Are you going to follow a direct line of ascendants, from son to father to grandfather to great grandfather as far back as you can go?
- Are you going to expand your research but only to the chosen surname (male line) thereby ignoring all descendants of female marriages?
- Are you going to research all relatives no matter how far they are removed from the original line?
BE ORGANIZED
This is one of the most important skills you need. As you embark on research you will discover a multitude of useful reference websites. You could Bookmark them or store them in your Favourites folder but the number of links can quickly accumulate and clog your bookmarks. (With apologies to Apple users of which I know little, I am sure there are similar options available on the Mac system.)
In Windows Explorer, create a directory and name it Gen Toolbox and within that directory create new folders: e.g. Libraries, Military, Census, etc.
- Right click within one of the folders and select new/shortcut
- Type the web address in the field
- Click next
- Type in a name that describes the subject matter of the website
- Save.
The above steps may seem labour intensive when typing the web address into the Browser achieves the same result, but the ability to quickly find the website you want is the advantage of having a Gen Toolbox in Explorer. When you have hundreds of links (and you will) being organized in advance will bring you great joy and minimal frustration.
BE METHODICAL
Keep a record of where you have searched to avoid duplication of work and time. Cataloguing source material is something you should do routinely - ensure that your research has a source. It is easy to hazard a guess that the information is correct, but unless you can prove it, or someone else has proof that the data is accurate, don’t consider it to be legitimate. Accepting someone else’s research without source data can require major revisions to your tree if you later discover that the data is incorrect.