10 Deadly Sins you need to avoid when Researching your Family History
Don’t …
1/ … get hung up on the spelling of the name. 2/ … think of dates as exact.
3/ … rely on relatives’ memories.
4/ … push reluctant relatives too far.
5/ … use it as an excuse to resurrect old family disputes.
6/ … believe transcripts to be 100% accurate
7/ … dismiss the obvious
8/ … assume your family were very rich
9/ … assume your family were very poor.
10/ … even believe yourself 100% of the time.
I’m not going to elaborate on the above points now because the plan is to deal with 1 a week. The idea of this blog & help website came about through the success of “Who do you think you are” - the BBC programme that made it all look so easy – they just didn’t mention the armies of researchers behind the scenes and the frustrations they felt when they couldn’t find the answers.
I believe a great many people were left with the impression that their family history could all be researched on the internet, but wonderful though modern technology is, experience is still a saving grace in the management of the information, how you put it together, and where the alternatives to dead ends are. It comes down to not where you look for family history information but how you look.
As I am disabled it is difficult, if not at times impossible, for me to visit County Record Offices so, to help other people in my situation who can’t attend Local Archives, I am willing to point you in the right direction for internet searching.
Who am I? – I’m the poor genealogist/family history researcher that you see muttering to themselves in record offices all over the world. Occasionally, VERY occasionally, you will see us leap up, thump the air and do a little victory dance
I am a qualified historian and have been studying my own family history for approximately 20 years during which time I’ve encountered most of the problems that you have now or probably will have in your future research travels.
So put me on a feed to get notice of changes and more information about the tips; any queries you want to send me; and my own meanderings about my own family history research and progress.
