Genealogy tip 17—Every record has value in Ancestry Research.
Being a history researcher comes with the need to learn and understand how to research records, find the key information and develop a plan that will take you to all available information. Through the years, I have had the pleasure of conducting historical and genealogy research throughout the United States and Europe. Every time I conduct research in a new location, I feel like I have to learn/relearn how to conduct historical research. Why? I need to learn where the records are kept, what is available, develop a plan of how to research this location and so much more. I have written a series of Genealogy Tips to introduce you to what I consider to be the most foundational skills I use over and over. In this article, I want to share Genealogy Tip 17: Every Record Has Value.
Genealogy Tip Series
Click on an of the following Genealogy Tips to be taken to the article.
Genealogy Tip 17: Every Record Has Value
Once you have had a chance to discover and organize records you have found at home, you are now ready to expand your search. Be prepared to conduct an exhaustive search and look for reliable sources. Make it a practice to track each key piece of information back to its source. Be prepared to search photocopied documents, digital images, and handwritten. Documents will be complete or partial transcripts, condensed abstracts, or partial abstracts.
Events create records. The most important concept I learned about searching for records is to think of events, not records. Rather than searching only for birth or death certificates, ask yourself what other types of records the event would generate in the period the event took place.
For example, in the case of my birth, there was an announcement in the paper, a baby shower, a baby book, a birth certificate, a record of my Church blessing, hospital records, and, later, a one-year-old picture in the local paper.
In the case of my mother’s death, there were cemetery and sexton records, a funeral book, funeral home records, hospital records, memorial cards, an obituary, a video of the funeral services, and her will.
The following important concept I learned was to search the records of siblings. Think about the families. When I have not been able to find any information in my family’s vital (birth, marriage, divorce, death) records, I have usually been able to find the information clues needed in the vital records of the siblings of the ancestor am researching.
Additional Articles on BeginMyStory.com
The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you find history and genealogy records.
- QuickStart Beginners Guide to Ancestry Research
- Introduction to Ancestry Research and Historical Records
- 7,500-plus Questions About Life to Ask People When Writing Narratives
- 1950 U.S. Census Research Guide for Beginners
- 4 Easy Steps to Google American Ancestry
- Preparing to Easily Google Ancestor Records
- Complete Guide for Conducting Oral History Interviews
- How to Get Great Google Search Results in Ancestry Research
- 9 Advanced Google Search Strategies to Trace Ancestors
- What It’s Like to Start Ancestry Research
- Search sites like FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com