By Barry J. Ewell
If you are going to spend a half-day traveling across town to interview a family member, a full day traveling to a cemetery two hundred miles away to take pictures of family headstones, or several weeks abroad searching your family roots, having clearly defined goals will help you focus on desired outcomes for your research. Being able to state your goals will require research, preparation, and prioritization. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
It’s very easy to start researching one line of thought, become interested in another, and change direction, all in a matter of a few minutes. Soon you’re surrounded with papers, documents, names, dates and locations and are left with a head full of swirling questions.
You will find your research more productive if you clearly identify your research goals, develop a research plan and focus on their completion. The following are a few ideas for keeping your research on track and manageable. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
Whenever possible, I make it a prac¬tice to collaborate with other genealogists on researching specific family lines. As a team, we will review our research, analyzing docu¬mentation, notes, and logs; identify the key questions we want to research; develop a research task list for researching each question; assign tasks and deadlines; and schedule regular meetings to review, compare, and discuss projects and research. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
When it comes to genealogy, starting out organized is easier than getting organized later on. It didn’t take long before my own research became weighed down with pedigree charts, family group records, to-do lists, research logs, documents, notes and research tools. I was robbing myself of precious research time because I spent hours looking for what I knew I had and duplicating research I had already done. Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
Ask for documentation. Never be shy about asking for documentation from another researcher when they have shared information with you. Again, without the paper records in hand, nothing is proven.
Always verify. There is never a time when you should not verify information you have received.
Through the years, I have found critical errors in what I downloaded. It often appears that genealogists wanted so desperately to extend the line or make a connection that they jumped to conclusions in their research, which caused other genealogists to research Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
US Census records are available for the years 1790-1940 and can include names, dates, locations, and occupations. You can also discover and verify vital information through the Social Security Death Index and birth, marriage, and divorce records. Additional life information can be found in immigration, naturalization, and military records.
Continue reading
By Barry J. Ewell
Find your ancestors faster when you see your family in the times and seasons. Learn background information about a place, group or subject, including: