>From the Daily News at Ancestry.com HELP FOR BEGINNERS (AND REMINDERS FOR THE REST OF US) By Juliana Smith <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ============================================================ -----PREPARING IN ADVANCE Whether it be a trip to the library or a search session online, preparing in advance can save you valuable time. If you decide what you want to focus on ahead of time, you can assemble all the information you need ahead of time. Ask yourself, "What do I want to find out?" "Where can I find this information?" -----TOOLS OF THE TRADE By learning to use the tools available, both on the Internet and off, you can expand your knowledge base and. Experiment with search engines, software programs, and organizational systems to find the tools that best suit your needs. -----DOCUMENTATION If you document every fact as you find it, down the road if you find conflicting data, you will be able to assess the sources to determine which fact is most likely correct. This will also make your research more valuable to future generations and other researchers that you wish to share your findings with. -----KEEPING A LOG By keeping track of the places you have searched, you can avoid much duplication of effort, and also see clearly what sources still need to be searched. -----VERIFICATION With the explosion of genealogical information on the Internet, there has also been a proliferation of incorrect data being passed around. By verifying every fact you find, you can save time and money that is wasted by chasing ancestors that aren't even yours. ----- DO A LITTLE DIGGING The Internet is full of wonderful family historians that are willing to share their experiences and help answer your research questions, but it is best to do a little digging before you ask for help. By trying to solve your problem first, you can learn new techniques and while most people will gladly help if you have done your homework, most people don't have the time or the inclination to do your research for you. -----REVIEWING PERIODICALLY It is helpful to pull out your files and reorganize them every so often. By transcribing records into a different format, or reviewing them, you may uncover clues that you overlooked the first time, or that you forgot to follow up on. -----MANNERS COUNT With e-mail and electronic correspondence comes a certain anonymity. Just because you don't see who you are writing to, doesn't mean that there isn't a living, breathing person at the receiving end. Online correspondents deserve the same courtesy that you would give someone face to face. "Please" and "Thank you" are always welcome, and a polite request is much more likely to get results than a demand for information. -----LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY As you progress in your search for your ancestry, you will encounter new obstacles that need to be overcome. By educating yourself as you go along, you will acquire new skills that can help you with future problems. There are multitudes of resources available to family historians. Internet sites, newsletters, conferences, and publications can all help you learn new techniques for moving your research along. -----HAVING FUN WITH IT! You have embarked on an exciting quest to find your roots, and it will be full of remarkable discoveries, and a few disappointments along the way. Don't get discouraged when searches turn up nothing. Think of it as one less place to search. Have fun and enjoy the thrill of the hunt! Please feel free to circulate this newsletter to other genealogy enthusiasts! We hope that you will also credit the Daily News as the source.