| Researching your family genealogy can be fun, | | | | advantages to the software: you will be able to |
| but it can also be hard work. As your family | | | | save your tree to your computer, and you can |
| pedigree grows, you may add as many as a | | | | add it to more than one website quickly. Posting |
| hundred individuals in a short time. With so many | | | | your tree on multiple websites will increase your |
| people, it can become easy to get lost in the | | | | odds of connecting with other genealogists and |
| shuffle of names. Here are five strategies to help | | | | furthering your research. |
| make your genealogy research easier. | | | | Connecting with other genealogist is the next tip |
| First, break your tree down so it is not one large | | | | for your genealogy trek. Your local genealogy |
| endless tree. It's nice to look at one big tree, but | | | | society can provide an opportunity to share the |
| you may also want to create four smaller trees | | | | journey of others. You may even find they have |
| for each grandparent's lineage. This can help you | | | | come upon something you are looking for, or |
| to avoid the error of attaching documents, facts | | | | your trees may cross. You can also connect with |
| and photos to the wrong person. Dividing up your | | | | others online through genealogy websites and |
| family tree into four parts can also allow you to | | | | genealogy message boards. When you search for |
| focus on one area at a time without feeling | | | | other family trees that connect to yours, you |
| overwhelmed. | | | | may find a distant relative who is doing similar |
| The second tip is attention to detail. It is very | | | | research. This is a great way to share family |
| important when adding facts to your tree to | | | | stories and learn new things you didn't know. |
| work slowly and recheck your work. A reversed | | | | One final tip when you are researching your |
| birth year such as 1863 to 1836 can make an | | | | family tree is to take a break from the names |
| ancestor appear three decades older than they | | | | and dates. Sometimes genealogy research can |
| were. By double-checking your work you will also | | | | become monotonous and frustrating. You may |
| more easily notice when you find a document | | | | even hit a dead-end on a particular branch of your |
| that has a contradictory name, spelling or date to | | | | tree. This is the time to take a break and |
| what you have already learned. Be sure to notate | | | | re-group. Maybe you can head down the path of |
| these differences in your tree. You will not know | | | | another family line. Or perhaps you can go back |
| which name or date is correct until you review | | | | and spend some time researching the history of |
| more documents. Mistakes in records are due to | | | | the areas your family came from. Adding one |
| human error, so if at all possible you want to | | | | name after another to your tree doesn't mean |
| keep from making mistakes yourself and causing | | | | that you know or understand those people any |
| further confusion. | | | | better. Use your roadblock to go back and |
| One great way to keep your family tree straight | | | | concentrate on what you have already learned |
| is to use your computer. Having a computer | | | | and begin to put those people into historical |
| version of your tree will help you to move easily | | | | context. It is important to keep your genealogy |
| from one branch to another. Buying tree maker | | | | research stress free; after all enjoying the |
| software is not necessary as there are several | | | | journey is the point. |
| free family tree websites, but there are a couple | | | | |