August 7, 2011

Genealogy Research

Genealogy Research is done in two phases, the survey phase and the original research phase. The purpose of the survey phase is to find out what research has already been done by other researchers. Original research is exciting but it can be time consuming and costly, so a thorough search of the work of others is essential. The process for following the survey phase is very straightforward.
  1. Check home and family sources.
    • Go through the old records, bibles, and photographs in your home as well as the homes of other family members.

    • Call, email or mail your relatives and ask questions. Get as much personal knowledge as you can from living relatives (be sure to list the source of each piece of information). If there is a specific topic that your family is sensitive about, think carefully how or even if the question should be asked. When I took my first class in genealogy, my professor shared an old adage that I think is very important, "We should never hurt the living to find the dead...
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