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FAQ of family researchers all over the world
Let’s Get Organized: Don’t wait till you are knee deep in notes and stuff to think about this...DO IT FIRST! Whether you will be doing it all manually or with the help of a computer, start off right and it will be a tremendous benefit in the long run! Organizing later is not only an exercise in futility but can be nearly impossible to achieve a few years down the road. Just click for tips on setting up for research in my article “Never Enough Cubbyholes” Take Notes: None of us can remember things as long we would like and you will not want to miss a syllable so take notes. Write them down, save your e-mails, carry a recorder...Or a little of all those things but be ready to copy at any given moment. You never know when a really juicy tidbit or that elusive puzzle piece are going to surface so be prepared! It can be most frustrating trying to recall who said what when you need to follow up on a lead or try to confirm a lost conversation. Memories Vary: Even siblings who grew up together will have varying recollections of how, when, where and why things happened. It is all worth making note of so do not rely on only one persons perspective if you have more to choose from. No one of the stories will be either 100% accurate or inaccurate. All will have some measure of fact and, if you get all the stories, you can often glean the facts once all the information is available. Collect Paperwork: Okay, first I should define “paperwork” as I mean it here. That is every old greeting card, invitation, birth announcement, funeral card, report card, newspaper clipping or other bit bit of “hard copy” you have, find or are offered. Also includes documentation on marriages, military service, citizenship, naturalization, education, etc. -- You get the idea. You may not ever reproduce or publish them but they can be valuable tools when trying to connect the dots at the end of day. If you do decide to create a book you will have a treasure trove of memorabilia to choose from! What to do with all that “Stuff”: The answer here varies on the type of items you have accumulated and your ability to store them.
Everything possible should be scanned and kept on file. Every photo, letter, document, etc. in case you need for reference, sharing or as part of your family archive.
Some folks are happiest with the actual physical items stored in files and, if you have the room to do that, it is a nice solution.
Many items you will only “borrow” from others in the family so those should be recorded, scanned and returned in a timely manner. Be sure to keep track of who lent you what in case you need to take a second look at the item or perhaps need more information on that particular limb of your family tree.
Never simply dispose of items once you have scanned and recorded them! You may not have room for them but you can bet someone else in the family would be overjoyed to make room for the excess “stuff”! Seldom is their only one member of a family researching the same or connecting roots. You never know when one of those pieces of “stuff” might be the lost link they have been seeking.
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