| There are many ways you can get bogged down | | | | marriage certificate in a photograph album you |
| in paperwork, notes to yourself, post-its all over | | | | have; a death date/place by the gravestone in |
| your desk and computer, and scratch pads filled | | | | the specific cemetery (photo?); a place for any |
| with - well, writing scratches! Excited by the | | | | item may be "family story". Write each source |
| search, you may do the following: scribble down | | | | down, and don't be surprised if one source will fill |
| the few details you are interested in, ignore the | | | | in several details, or that one detail may have |
| rest of the details on the same page, forget to | | | | several sources! |
| put down the actual web site url (address), and | | | | You can do a Family Group Sheet for each family |
| move on. Oh dear - six weeks later, you come | | | | unit you have on your Pedigree sheet. Pencil in the |
| across this piece of paper under your keyboard, | | | | data you can only guess... "likely, Winnipeg |
| realize that you need the other details you had | | | | Manitoba" or "m. abt. 1910 in New York or New |
| ignored, and you simply cannot find your source | | | | Jersey", so that you can see what you need to |
| again! Nor can you remember how you got there | | | | research, and where. Once you have this done |
| in the first place. Too common a finding, and | | | | for several of your family units on your Pedigree |
| there are ways to avoid this problem! | | | | sheet, you can pull out a new sheet or form: a |
| Take a moment right now, and in your family | | | | To Do List. On this sheet you will start to list |
| tree software program, pull up you and your | | | | information you need to look for, with a |
| direct ancestors in a Pedigree view. This view | | | | best-guess as to what might provide a source |
| shows You on the extreme left, and has your | | | | document or clues. |
| ancestors listed out from you in lines going out to | | | | Right away, you may see that you have a large |
| the right side of the paper. You can specify how | | | | number of relatives in both Toronto Ontario and |
| many generations you wish to show on this view. | | | | Winnipeg Manitoba to research, or a family line or |
| I usually use 6 generations since that allows me | | | | two that used to live in Syracuse New York. This |
| to see quickly where I need to do more research; | | | | will help make your research more efficient when |
| however 4 or 5 generations are fine too. | | | | you go to look for grandparents in the late 1800s |
| Remember that you are #1 on the chart, your | | | | in Toronto and all their siblings as well as children. |
| Father #2, Mother #3, Father's father #4, | | | | Additional Forms or Charts could be: |
| Father's mother #5, Mother's father #6, Mother's | | | | Correspondence Log sheets to keep track of |
| mother #7. Print this summary report - or do it | | | | your emails/letters to and from government |
| by hand on paper. | | | | offices or relatives about specific ancestors or |
| The purpose of doing this is to use this Pedigree | | | | families; a blank Census chart of each year of the |
| view as a summary page of your ancestors for | | | | country's censuses when tracking family |
| research planning. | | | | members as they move (or don't move); perhaps |
| Now, use a Family Group Sheet - either download | | | | a Military Records Checklist with columns of each |
| one on familytreemagazine.com/forms | | | | relevant war period. There are a number of useful |
| download.html or copy a form out of a genealogy | | | | forms most searchers find very practical. |
| book from the library, or from other sources | | | | There are many forms and charts available on |
| online (see cyndislist.com). Or, make your own | | | | the Internet to help you build your family tree |
| chart by writing your parents' names at the top | | | | with the best details, the most correct details, and |
| of a lined paper sheet, husband on left, wife on | | | | to help track down relevant documents. It can be |
| right. Leave about 2-3" below them, and list | | | | helpful to also have a summary sheet listing most |
| children in order from oldest child to youngest, | | | | of the potential documents which could be useful |
| with about 3/4" below each child. Go over to the | | | | for your research; e.g., "Questions to Focus Your |
| back of the page if there are too many children | | | | Research" form - see link at end of article. Some |
| to list on one side. You are number 1, but other | | | | researchers also like to have a sheet for each |
| siblings will be your father's number plus a letter: | | | | individual "Research Checklist for [Specific |
| example, your oldest sister will be "2A". | | | | Individual]" which would list life events, dates, |
| For each person on the Family Group Sheet, write | | | | details, repository, specific source,reference |
| out their full correct name with nicknames and/or | | | | archive information, including address plus Internet |
| other added details (Prof., Jr., Major, etc.), and the | | | | address if found online. |
| basics: b.(birth), m. (marriage), d.(death), bu. (burial), | | | | I hope you can see that using forms or charts |
| and fill in the dates and places. For your Father | | | | can make your research much more efficient, and |
| & Mother as well, write in their own parents' | | | | more thorough as well. In the end, you should |
| names plus their parents' marriage date/place if | | | | have a family tree in which you can support each |
| known. Continue these b.m.d.bu. details for all | | | | detail of your ancestor's lives with sources and |
| children listed. | | | | documents. Now all you need to do is add |
| Note at the bottom or the back of the sheet the | | | | photographs, newspaper articles or obituaries, |
| sources for these details on the family unit. As | | | | personal stories and more, and you have a rich |
| each person has a # or letter to identify them, | | | | family tree to share with others in the extended |
| you can list that beside your proof note. Example: | | | | family. |
| your parents' marriage details may be found on a | | | | |