Issue 42.17
Research is done in cycles. You will complete a series of steps and then repeat the steps again, using the new knowledge you have gained. An illustration of the research cycle appears at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Research_Process
For many years these have been the steps you need to take when doing your own family history research. Now with the new tools at FamilySearch, including Family Tree and the Record Hints and Records provided by FamilySearch Indexing, the process has become easier for beginners.
For successful research, follow these steps:
1. Identify what you know. Look at FamilySearch.org/tree to see what is already available about your family. Add any missing information you have readily available that may not be included in Family Tree.
2. Decide what you want to learn. Look for icons on Family Tree including Record Hints, Research Suggestions, Data Problems, and Incomplete Ordinances.
3. Select records to search. Click the icon for Record Hints and compare these indexed records to the ancestors and attach them if applicable.
4. Obtain and search the records. Click under Search Records to search FamilySearch records plus partner sites including Ancestry.com, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.
5. Evaluate and Use the information. See if the records you have found contain more information about the ancestors that you can add to the Family Tree.
Your genealogical quest has already pointed you in a direction, such as learning when your mother’s family first came to the country. Now identify goals that will advance you towards your quest. Most goals focus on researching an individual or that individual’s family.
Browse through your various family group records. Look for families you could research to move you toward fulfilling your quest AND be easiest to research first. This would probably be a family closer to you in time—a parent or grandparent family. There is a greater chance living people would recall events, and have records or mementos of more recent generations. Starting research on earlier generations before pinning down the information about more recent generations might cause time consuming errors. Don’t skip any family links.
Search from the known to the unknown; recent generations before earlier generations. Then, you can choose to research the descendants of a person.
For more information contact Shanna Jones at shannasjones@msn.com