Retirement presents the ideal time to begin tracing family history. A major hurdle would-be genealogists face is what to do with all the stuff they’ve collected over the years and how to organize it so they know what they already have in order to target what they need to find. In short, they need an overall plan for their genealogy project.
A family historian needs to consider several areas in laying out a genealogy project. He needs to formulate and answer key questions about what it is he wants to do with his genealogical material. He must decide how to figure out what information he has on hand and how to organize it all. Next, to guide his entire approach, he must have some idea the end product, or products. Finally, he needs to assess his skill level and determine where and how to pursue any education he might need to accomplish goals related to researching family history.
Points to Ponder in Family Tree Research
- Where are family photographs, documents and important papers?
- Do photographs and events bear accurate identification?
- Are there other artifacts such as diaries, journals, yearbooks and family heirlooms that contain valuable family history data?
- Will current storage methods of family records and photographs adequately preserve them for posterity?
Methods for Organizing Genealogical Records and Notes
A lifetime of collecting family history documents can result in boxes and file drawers brimming over with paper and mementos. Such a collection can prove so overwhelming that the ultimate task of pulling it all together so family members can access their family history gets pushed aside. It is wise to decide what is worth keeping, what needs professional preservation and how best to organize genealogy files and research yet to be uncovered.
Important, too, is deciding whether or not to use a genealogy software program (highly recommended) and if so, which one to use.
Skills to Acquire in Pursuing Ancestry Research
Genealogists come in every flavor. Some want their research to be the equivalent of a doctoral dissertation in a certified genealogy program. Others seldom question information that they find in libraries or family legends passed down from Grandma or Great-aunt Josephine. They write it down as fact and perpetuate myths.
Family historians will need to develop skills from filling out handwritten pedigree charts and family group sheets to entering and documenting research in a computer software program. Identifying necessary skills and deciding how to attain them is a vital part of the genealogist’s job.
End Products of Genealogy Research
Family history concerns become much easier to address if the researcher decides early on what tangible products he wants to produce. Will he create a media slide show for family reunions? A coffee table book containing photos and stories of beloved family members? Or perhaps a leather-bound, gold-stamped volume of family history tracing ancestral surnames. A GEDCOM file for digital uploading to online websites and other interested family members and researchers? Deciding early on what format the final product will take will make it more likely that key research will get done in a timely manner.
Pulling it all together in Family Tree Research
In order to finally begin putting a lifetime’s collection of family history information together to share with others, a family genealogist needs to reexamine his methods of organization of family data and decide upon what to keep and how to keep it. He also must develop a plan for passing on precious genealogy information to future generations and finally getting around to wrapping up some of his family tree research projects.
Debra Winstead - Debra Winstead combines over three decades of teaching experience with a love of learning new things. Writing online is currently a new ...
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