| How complete is your family tree? How many | | | | on the tree. You especially do not care to have |
| family lines have you explored? Some people are | | | | his kids on there when you think about how |
| only interested in having their direct ancestors | | | | distant a relation they are. |
| listed on their tree. They don't want to muddy | | | | Your head starts spinning when you try to figure |
| things up with a lot of other people who are not | | | | out what they are to you. Is it your second |
| directly related to them. There's nothing wrong | | | | cousin thrice removed? You then begin to realize |
| with that as long as you can find all of your direct | | | | the more people you have on there, the better. |
| ancestors. | | | | The odds have increased to get you to where |
| As we all know, when researching a family tree | | | | you want to be. You want to go back as far as |
| you run across other distant relatives who have | | | | possible and these people are going to help you |
| the same ancestors. Maybe they have more | | | | get there. |
| information on a few people that you didn't have. | | | | Use them wisely. There have been many times |
| You use that information to build onto your tree | | | | when I hit that wall and went up a different alley. |
| and make it more complete. | | | | You have to navigate the minefield of Genealogy. |
| What happens though when the trail of clues | | | | Know when to stop and know when to change |
| stop? If everyone who is researching that | | | | course. |
| particular ancestor runs into the same stopping | | | | Keep in mind that family members generally |
| point, it is time to change your game plan. | | | | stayed close together and migrated across the |
| Everyone has run into that brick wall where they | | | | country together. Not to mention the fact that |
| just can't go back any further. For whatever | | | | there were simply a lot less people on the earth |
| reason, your ancestor cannot be found as a child. | | | | back then. |
| You don't know who their parents are. That is | | | | Countless times I have gone to look up a person |
| where it becomes important to have as many | | | | on a census report and found that at least one or |
| people on the tree as possible. | | | | two other families on the same page are related |
| By exploring and documenting your ancestor's | | | | to each other. You started by looking up one |
| siblings you have opened yourself up to more | | | | person and now you have information on several. |
| avenues of finding that next step up. | | | | By documenting all of these relatives, you can |
| Maybe your direct ancestor has never been found | | | | keep track of things a lot better. |
| as a child but someone somewhere has found his | | | | In the small communities your ancestors came |
| brother or sister as a child. They have discovered | | | | from, they nearly all knew each other and |
| something that you could not. | | | | married into each others family. A fun thing to |
| Think of it in terms of gambling. You want all the | | | | look at if available in your area is a map that |
| odds in your favor. The more people on your | | | | shows family farms. |
| tree, the better your odds of success. | | | | It will show a map of all of the farms in a town |
| Besides relying on other people's research, there | | | | and the owners of those farms. You will probably |
| is also the fact that you now have one more | | | | see that an ancestor on one side of your family |
| person to find in all of those vital records you | | | | lived just down the road a piece from another |
| pour over. Maybe you can find your second great | | | | family member. |
| uncle in those records where your ancestor could | | | | Recognizing the importance of looking at the |
| not be found. | | | | extended family and the entire community are |
| At first you may not realize the importance of | | | | key to a good genealogist. As they say..."It takes |
| having your second great grandfather's brother | | | | a village". |