Ten Tops Tips For Family History Research
1. Family Information
Most families have access to some birth, marriage and death certificates so it is always a good place to start by asking relatives what information they have. Families can also be a wealth of information on where people lived, their jobs and interests. These can all be keys to filling in your family's story. This is something that Kin Tree professional researchers will always encourage people to do.
2. What Do You Want To Find Out
Think about what you want to find out. Are you interested in birth, marriage or deaths, surname origins, places, occupations... Plan out how you will do this. You may find out that your interests widen as you find out information. That's great but remember to add these new interests into your plans. Kin Tree often find that people come to us for their family tree details but then ask us to research why a family might move or to give them more information on an occupation, a work place or the living conditions of the family.
3. One Branch At A Time
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Its not so good to try to do different parts of the family all at once. It can be hard to not get confused with names, dates and places otherwise. Whether doing research for one tree or like Kin Tree for a variety of families, its important to have files for each family and their branches. Keep a note of where you get information. It makes it much easier to go back and check if you need further information or to clarify anything.
4. Keep Records Of Searches
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Keep a note of what you are doing. Recently, for example, one of Kin Tree's researchers was at a Scotland's People Centre and came across a birth where the mother's maiden name was not the one expected. Although our researcher was fairly sure it was a mistake, she took the time to check out these new details for this mother - birth certificate, census records and a marriage - to check if this was a different person. No details of anyone with the unexpected maiden name were found but our researcher noted down the research carried out. This prevents duplication. It is easy to forget what might have been done when you look back some time later.
5. Family Stories
Family stories can be a great source of clues to the past but sometimes they are not accurate. Our researchers were asked to find the death certificate of someone who was originally from Scotland but who had died in the USA. He was supposed to have died helping to build one of New York's iconic buildings. The family had hit a brick wall and called us in to help. We checked USA records on the person but could find nothing for a death. We decided to check the Scottish records and found his death in Scotland some 10 years after the building was finished.
6. Archives
Many archives hold great information unavailable elsewhere. Often though these are not online. Archives will be indexed in different ways so if you don't find the information you are looking for, try to think of a different way of looking and you may be surprised at the results! Kin Tree have experience of accessing a wide range of archives so please get in touch if you need some help.
7. Write Down Your Thoughts
Have a notebook to jot down your thoughts as you go along. This is great for when something pops into your head at a time when you are busy but you might forget later. It's especially useful when you are searching records and it makes you think of a follow up which might also be relevant to another branch of the family tree. 
8. Be Sensitive
Sometimes you will find out unexpected information which you may find fascinating however others may feel sensitive about what you have found. Kin Tree would suggest that you talk to people about the information before putting it all down in a book. Kin Tree would always pass on this information but never put it down in black and white without permission.
If you are attending a family event, record who was there along with the date and place. Was there anything out of the ordinary - perhaps a wedding in a location with a significance to the couple etc? What might be known to you will not be known to future generations when your family history book is passed on.
Professional genealogists such as those at Kin Tree have a wealth of knowledge which can be very useful. Do you need help when you hit a brick wall or can't access an archive yourself? Would trawling through records cost too much? Kin Tree can help save you time and money as our expertise means we know what is possible and practical and are used to costing out research. We have studied not only genealogy but also history so we can provide a rounded service to give you an extensive picture of your family's story.
If you have any questions or enquiries, please contact us!
You can contact us by email: kintree@ymail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kin.tree
twitter: www.twitter.com/kin_tree @kin_tree
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Next Article: First Cousin Once removed? Second Cousin? Find Out The Difference!
Great blog!
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