Today we’re talking about preparing to research by learning more about the where your ancestor lived. Doing locality research is absolutely essential! Previously, we talked about objectives in epsidode 2, and analysis in episode 3. Those are the first steps in a research project. Today, Diana and I are going to dive in to the next step, locality research, and talk in depth about all the ways you can learn more about a location. Before...
How long has it been since you explored the catalog on FamilySearch to discover it’s offerings? If it’s been awhile or if you have never looked at the catalog, read on. Researching a family last week I was reminded again of some research tricks that I use to uncover the records. Today I’m sharing three of those tips with you. Tip #1 Locate and look at the original image FamilySearch has billions of indexed records. Many of...
Do you research in the same state over and over? Do you ever find great information on the web that you’d like to save but don’t know what to do with it? Do you have stacks of papers you’ve printed out for future reference, but you can’t find them now? If you answered yes to any of those questions, maybe it’s time you created your own research guide. A research guide is a collection of...
Have you hit the proverbial brick wall in your family history research? Are you at a loss for taking the next step? What you might need is to invest in a local family history book written about your ancestor’s town, county, or general area. I wrote about the importance of understanding localities in my post “Location, Location, Location: Putting Your Ancestors in their Place.” Today’s post is about learning even more about that place where...
Do you have a difficult ancestor? One that just won’t stay put in one place? Are records difficult to find in the location you finally have him pinpointed? Have you been more interested in finding names and dates than discovering the what, where, and why of your family? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, maybe it’s time to take a step back from searching for specific records and put your...