Four Tips for Writing Genealogical Inquiries by
Paul Duxbury
Before writing any genealogical inquiry
that is going to be turned into any official place, such as the Census
bureau or the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is best to make sure you have all
your chickens in a row so to speak. You need to make sure beyond a doubt
that the information you give them is completely true to the best of your
knowledge. This is to make sure you get the correct information back.
"Scan and Enlarge Hard to Read Documents"
Many marriage certificates, death certificates, wills, birth certificates,
and many other official documents may have been hand written or typed
depending on how old they are. Either way the ink may have run, may be hard
to read, or be very small. Enlarging them using a copy machine with an
enlarge function will help clear up a lot. Making it easier to see will
reduce your mistakes.
"Name Drop"
Another good way to get some information is to learn to drop names. There
are many genealogical societies and publications. If you can strike a
conversation with a member of these groups, you may be able to milk them for
a ton of useful information. You can drop names and usually you can get a
host of information. Sometimes they may know a thing or two about the name
you dropped, but most of the time they can tell you about a place to look
for information. They can in most cases lead you in directions you never
even considered. Genealogical societies are known for their ability to
locate information about ancestry that the average person can not locate
themselves. They can tell you about forums to join, websites, computer
programs, clubs, groups, publications, people, and places that will be
useful in your search.
"Ask Someone Who Knows the Area"
If your search brings you to a certain location, ask around and see if
anyone knows the area. If your research dates back a couple generations,
look for a church or a school or something that looks like it has been
around that long or longer. You can usually find a church member or priest
or teacher or someone that has been there a long time. They may remember
something or know something that can guide you in some direction. If you
have pictures or something to help jog their memory, that is even better.
The more information you can show them, the better chance you have of them
remembering something.
"Look for Events Close to Home"
Usually if you live near a large city or town, there will be genealogical
lectures, seminars, and conventions. Genealogy societies all over the
country attend these and they are a pool of knowledge all in one location.
Many societies and companies have booths set up to help you. There are
companies that locate information for you. There are societies and
investigators and so many other options for you to explore. You can also
learn all about how to do your investigations to locate your long lost
history. This option is one of the best options for a novice ancestral
researcher, but it is one of the most overlooked. Do some research online
and see when the next convention, seminar, or lecture is coming to your
town.
These are just four tips to help you on your journey to discovering what
your family has in its history. Do some research on the internet and do some
reading on genealogical publications. You will find that there are a ton of
options to consider. There are so many options and ideas and techniques. You
just have to find one that works best for you and stick with it. Remember
that this is a very time consuming task and it will take lots of work and
lots of patience. Don't let dead ends get to you. Just keep in mind that
this all takes a lot of time. Once you get done, you will look back at your
family tree and feel proud at all the work you did and all the knowledge you
have gained through the sweat tears and aggravation. You will have something
you can pass down from generation to generation that will be valued for
generations to come.
About the Authors Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook own http://www.amateur-genealogist.com
and http://www.our-family-trees.co.uk two of the leading Genealogy Websites.
In addition Paul owns a wide range of exciting websites which can be viewed
at http://www.our-family-trees.co.uk