Genealogy Chat

What's the best tip you've ever been given?

When I first started on my tree I was advised to never ever let a helpful family member tidy up your desk, throw away scrappy bits of paper or otherwise help to organise things! So many times, I've kept scrappy notes that seemed to be about the wrong thing but then a few weeks or months later found out something new and made a connection. How marvellous it is when I can dig that old note out and put it all together. Louise

Don't Ever, EVer, EVEr, EVER!!!!!!!!!! Start tracing your family tree..... You become a total bore and it costs a fortune!!!!!! As you can see I took that advice :)))) Chris (A total bore and with a bank balance to prove it)

never to ASSUME anything because to assume is to make an ASS out of U and ME To build a family tree not a fantasy tree!!!!!!

The most daunting advice I've ever heard is that given by Anthony Camp, who was the Director of the Society of Genealogists: 'If you haven't found them, you haven't looked' And if you were about to protest that there was a gap in the records, he would produce a list of other records you could use, as long as your arm. The other, very sensible advice is 'Kill them off' I've seen trees on this site where people have married and had children a quarter of a century after they've died.

Good grief Brenda! I think your tip should be on another thread ... What's the most annoying advice you've ever been given!!! I hope that that particular gem was not aimed at us amateurs because I can tell you that I have looked and looked and looked again for one of my 2nd great grandfathers but other than a mention on his son's birth certificate there is not record anywhere! Louise

There must come a time though, where you can't do it all from the armchair (or computer). I think eventually you have to go places, get appropriate permissions, and search them out manually. My big hurdle is searching out family from the north and south of Ireland. With 4 Kids and a full time job when I am ever likely to do that?! Brenda

Following on from the advice NOT to assume anything, I would say you DO sometimes need to assume things - but make sure you back up your assumptions with proof. I have followed up various hunches by getting certs which have confirmed them. nell

Nell by assuming i meant just becasue there is a fred bloggs born right time right place, dont; assume he MUST be yours!!!! The IGI is rife with these assumptions!!!!!!! By all means assume but then prove the assumption!!

I agree with Nell, you MUST confirm everything with certificates otherwise you can NEVER be sure you have the rigth person. I have seen postings on the board from people who say things like 'I have been doing my tree for 2 months and have 700 people in it'. How the heck can they do that? I've been doing mine for two and a half years and still only have less than 300. (most of these confirmed with certificates). Lynne

Another top tip is to make sure you get in contact with your living relatives. It's very exciting to find direct ancestors from centuries gone by but never forget that living grandparents, aunties, uncles, etc. can provide masses of information, photos and memories that really help. Since doing this I've got back in touch with relatives I hadn't seen for years and stayed in touch. It's one of the best things about starting this mad hobby. Louise

So, Brenda, I assume Anthony Camp has traced back to Adam and Eve??? (Wonder what it says on their birth certs? lol) He can try looking for my ag lab William Smith, born within fifty years or so of 1680 from ''somewhere on the planet''. It's which planet, that I can't work out. best advice - Always look sideways and forwards as well as backwards.... and even better - keep looking for the rellie who spent over 60 years doing his tree and wrote a book about it. Even if it is going to take decades, keep looking, coz you WILL find him (or his descendant!) and his book and it will be worth it! (This advice followed, with a RESULT in 2002 - family had been searching since 1958) Happy Hunting Sarah

Best advice was something I said to myself - my grannies told porky pies, and pre-marital sex has always happened!! I know my dad was born, I saw him - knew him even. I have found his adoption 'birth', but I cannot find his birth to the man my gran told him was his dad. I can find his younger sister's, not his. Neither can I find it under my gran's maiden name. Which reminds me - don't forget there were bicycles before they were invented !!! LOL maggie

Oh Sarah It is wonderful if you do find someone who has written a book, but only if they describe all their sources. I found a wonderful couple of publications, produced in the 1800s, for one of my families in Devon. Then the wretched man makes statements which I think were based on documents, then in existence, but which went up in smoke in WW2. Grrrrrrrrr.

> How the heck can they do that? In some parts of the world the available records, and even the indexes, show more information (sometimes a lot more) than they do in England. Cheers, Bill Sydney, Australia

Brenda, As it took from 1958-2002 to trace my rellies work I had already done the research myself by the time we found it! (which was much the best way round!). We were able to drive to Bristol to see the book in the possession of his grandson and we were trusted to bring it home to Bournemouth where we could scan it. Grandson had never seen us before - how trusting is that?!! Inside the book it says: ''As there is no duplicate of this book in the world, it had better be kept and passed on to future generations''. Made the hair stick up on the back of my neck - what if something happened to it? My house burning down or something!!! The writer lived 1868-1963 and had the perfect job for the hobby - Registrar in Bristol for 52 years and a census enumerators supervisor from 1891 - 1921inc. His ''book'' was really a tree in book format. Around 1200+ names and one quarter our mutual ancestors. NO SOURCES THOUGH!! However, as I had already done the research on my quarter and some of my sources included records that covered many of the other names, I have been able to check a great deal. The best part was, you could tell where he had written letters to elderly rellies asking for info - those were the bits with no exact dates, but little explanations of what the person was like or what they had been doing etc. To date I have found one error in his book, but several in my own work!! So, the moral of this story is.....NEVER give up, lol Sarah (sorry to ramble on!)

Bill Wherever they live, I still cannot believe they can VERIFY over 700 ancestors in 2 months! Lynne

Lynne, The people you mention (with 700 in 2 months) are the same people who say, ''I've hit a brickwall as I've been looking for this info ALL EVENING''. Me thinks their wall is made of straw?!! Sarah

I think the most useful advice I can say is never trust the IGI completely. As others have said you get many people saying that they have traced their families back to say the 1600's and with over 1000's ancestors, but when you look much of their 'evidence' it is based on the IGI. I know the IGI is a wonderful source, but you should always always double check references by obtaining parish records, certificates, etc. As someone else has previously mentioned I have been tracing my tree for a number of years now and can only say I have probably 100 ancestors, though I can say that they are all definite ancestors, confirmed with lots of evidence.

Sarah, Karen Hear, hear! Lynne