13 December 2013

Leave A Trail

When a researcher is "hot on the trail" of an elusive ancestor or relative, it is tempting to research as fast as possible to find the answers.

Avoid that.

Chances are the relative for whom you are looking is already dead, so time is not of the essence.

Leave a trail of exactly what records you looked at and, more importantly, why you looked at them. Do this as you are doing the research when it is all fresh in your mind. Failure to do so may leave you wondering later where there records were from or what made you connect them to the same person.

1 comment:

  1. Such a good suggestion. In the days of my youth, I hurried on down that trail to discover more, and after a few years of doing nothing, I'm at a loss to know just where that came from and where I have already been. :(

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