> http://www.ancestry.com/dailynews/10_13_99.htm#3 > > > by Roseann Hogan, Ph.D. > > > "So, there's an index to these marriage records, huh?" Was I > prepared for my first genealogical research trip to the archives, or what? > Twenty years of > genealogical research have taught me a great deal-about myself, > history, perseverance, organization, the temperaments of public servants, > and, not > incidentally, how to better manage long-term research projects. In > this article, I will outline half of my Top Ten Tips that I've learned over > the past two decades > (the other half will follow in my next column), and I hope the tips > will be helpful to others. Extending the logic here is not flattering-my > twenty years translate into > only ten maxims? I must be a slow learner. > > 1. DOCUMENTATION > Most important, no matter how tedious this seems document all > research efforts thoroughly. If there were ten commandants of research, the > first nine would be > document, document, document. All researchers know this worn-out > piece of advice and feel appropriately guilty when they don't heed it. But > what I'd like to > stress is that it is as important to document sources you check in > which you did not find relevant information as it is to document those in > which you did. In > summary, all efforts should be recorded, including what I call "null > findings." Think about it: do you really want to spend precious research > time looking through > records where you have (a) already searched, and (b) found nothing > at all the first time? This would put you in the position of re-examining > your least productive > sources. > > So, how do you document all this work? The research calendar is the > best way, of course. Use one of the commercially available forms, or make > one of your > own that you will actually use. I have made up my own form which > works well. It shows the date and place of research in one corner, as well > as columns for > numbers and location information that would allow me to easily > relocate the document should I need to look at it again. This information > includes the call > numbers, microfilm numbers, original courthouse location box > numbers, etc. I prepare this form before I arrive at the library, while I am > reviewing my notes, and > once I arrive at the archives, with my priorities in my hand, I > simply add the call numbers, and I'm on my way to the film readers. > > For individual document locations, be sure to indicate the page or > frame number, even if the pages are not numbered. I always include some > notes to myself > about where I found a record, even if it is only a hurried "this was > about halfway to the end of the film" kind of note. Some machines have tick > marks showing the > depth of the film at certain points; these can be used as rough > indicators. Indicating the condition of the records-whether they are legible > or not-helps you recall > later how the records looked, as well as helping you evaluate > whether that record really did say such-and-such if the film was not clear. > > What I didn't realize when I started out was that genealogy is never > done, and research is a repetitive process. One must record what names are > searched. > Now, we all know that we should check variant spellings of the names > searched. But I find it is important for me to record not only spellings > checked, but also > what surnames and given names I checked, and how much I knew about > the family at the time I did the research. I sometimes wish, when looking at > research > done a year or more ago, that I had attached to my research calendar > the family chart or group sheet as I knew it at the time. > > The bottom line here is not to trust anything to memory, thinking > you'll remember; you won't. I promise. And besides, other researchers will > follow you who will > need to know what was done before. > > 2. DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE, SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH STRATEGY > Organize your work, perhaps using the chronological tool discussed > in an earlier column [see "The Chronology: Keeping it All Together," > Ancestry, March/April > 1997, p. 22]. Then use a scientific and systematic approach to > tackle what needs to be done, including approaching new research problems > and eliminating > dead ends and puzzles. > > For each research problem, list the possible sources-primary and > secondary-that might be helpful. Cast your net widely. Then use this > inventory to develop your > strategy. What would be the most likely record to solve your > problem? I limit my first research attempts to the easy-to-search records, > then move progressively > through the harder-to-use documents and documents that are less > relevant. The multitude of publications available, combined with our natural > curiosity, makes it > easy to become sidetracked at the library, so a listing of my > research plan each day is essential for me-it keeps me on my task and > confident that I am using my > time well. > > When I have searched the basic records and have not satisfied my > need to know or have found nothing, I take a step back. I build a narrative > based on what I > know and don't know about the family. I identify and develop > hypotheses about relationships and families, then set my research priorities > to prove or disprove > my ideas. I find I am more motivated and focused in my research if I > have a good idea of who I am looking for. Of course I'm not always right, > and I work hard to > maintain my objectivity, but it gives me a goal and an organized > plan of action. Let me reiterate here-possibly the worst thing any of us do > is to neglect the null > findings when evaluating what has been done already and what needs > to be done. > > As far as organization is concerned, I have developed a reference > notebook for each of the major libraries I use. In it I include numbers of > works I frequently use > and notes on what I searched in the past, in addition to my research > calendar. This saves an enormous amount of time. > > 3. SYNTHESIZE AND INTEGRATE FINDINGS > Once you arrive home, write down any ideas that occur to you and > store the information in a single place. The place can be a simple family > form/group sheet or > a computer program. I use the aforementioned chronology, which > includes documented events as well as hypothesized dates, with complete > documentation of > my results. I find my best work is done as soon as possible after I > leave the library. > > Making myself summarize the findings for the day or for each source > checked forces me into an analytical frame of mind. I like to think about > the research in at > least two modes: the data-collection mode at the library, and the > analytical mode afterwards. When my family politely asks, "Well, did you > find anything today?" I > usually say I don't know yet. And unless I made an astonishing > finding or found an entirely new family, that's exactly true. You must take > time to take the facts and > turn them into information. > > 4. QUESTION AUTHORITY AND TRUST NO ONE > This is an old rule and certainly not one I originated. But it is > important to keep in mind. Never make assumptions in determining your > research strategy. We all > know we cannot accept family stories uncritically, although they are > wonderful hypotheses about the family. We view them as helpful, albeit > sometimes > unreliable, clues. Read as much history and local history as you > can. Don't depend on genealogical books, or on folk tales from the family. > Don't even assume > that official documents are accurate. Here are some examples from my > personal experience. > > It was not until I was working on an African American family in > central Kentucky that I realized there were indeed many, not just a few, > black marriages recorded > in the early 1800s. This was something that I thought did not happen > due to the legal status of African Americans at the time. So now, whenever I > use these > records, I chuckle to myself, wondering how many white families have > erroneously included these black names in their histories. Of course, the > equally > unfortunate possibility is that these families indeed have black > heritage that they do not realize they have. > > A friend of mine encountered a death certificate in some research he > was doing (see above). The document indicated the parents of the deceased, > including > the mother's maiden name, listed as Mary Field. Great, he thought, I > have the parents' names now, right? Wrong. The father's name was correct; > the mother's > name was correct in part, but he read it wrong. It turns out the > name listed was only her surname; the mother's actual name was Elizabeth > Merryfield. How did > this get resolved? My friend started reading about the area and > noticed the surname Merryfield. When he pursued this line, he found what he > was looking for. > > 5. PUT YOUR FAMILY IN THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT > Another important lesson, especially in difficult-to-solve problems, > is to learn about the family's background. Learn everything you can and > search for as many > documents as you think exist, for verification of information you > have already found, or for different perspectives. > > A mistake I see genealogists making is not thinking about the entire > family when conducting research. For example, one researcher dolefully told > me that his > ancestor died before 1911, when Kentucky's civil registration had > begun, so he would not be able to identify this ancestor's parents. "And," > he went on, > "great-aunt Bessie doesn't remember..." > > I interrupted him at this point. "You mean he had a sister with > children? The female line is just as related to the parents as the male > line." He hurriedly got up and > beat a path to the vital records, where he found the evidence that > he had sought for so long. > > The social context and attitude can also influence what appears in > the official records. For example, my great-grandfather's death certificate > says he was > married at the time of his death. Not so. He and his wife were > divorced in the 1920s, but because my Aunt Fanny was a strict Catholic, she > didn't recognize the > civil divorce and reported him as married. > > In the second part of this series, I will discuss the remaining five > tips: > > 6. Make Each Document Work for You > 7. Citizenship, or, The Golden Rule > 8. Take a Multifaceted Approach to Genealogy > 9. Never Stop Learning > 10. The Virtue of Tenacity, or, The Truth is Out There > > > 6. MAKE EACH DOCUMENT WORK FOR YOU. It is critically important that each > document be examined closely. Record all details on a document, every > scratching, regardless of whether they make sense or have any significance > at this point in your research. In her article in the March/April 1998 > issue of Ancestry, Elizabeth Shown Mills indicates that there is often no > single document that proves parentage. The researcher must build a case > with reliable information from a variety of clues found in a multitude of > sources and documents. A fact that makes no sense now may turn out to be a > vital clue later. > > For example, a letter in a collection of papers collected in the 1920s by a > local attorney indicated that a member of my Irish family came to Kentucky > in the 1860s. This confirmed what I had discovered thus far. However, the > writer went on to note that this family moved to Indiana for a time on an > "airline contract." This made no sense to me, but I copied everything down, > thinking that it was an interesting phrase. I wondered what this Irish > immigrant family had had to do with airplanes. They were stone masons, and, > like so many other Irish folk, worked on roads and on the railroads. It was > not until years later that I discovered there was a railroad short line in > Indiana, on which my great-grandfather had been the foreman. This line was > called the Air Line, because the new structure was supposed to be such a > smooth ride that it would be "like riding on air." > > The other way for a researcher to make documents work is to view each one > as a clue, a link to another set of documents. Source documents should > multiply like rabbits. Here's another example: A death certificate of my > great-grandfather indicated that there was an inquest at the time of his > death, since he had been struck by a >