Never Assume the Following



The following are 10 concepts that can be a mistake when doing your family tree.  

1. Your family tree will not be totally online as part of someone’s tree and there could be some major mistakes.

2. Never depend solely on free databases; you will need some of the subscription databases and sending letters to courthouses.

3. Not all vital records such as birth-marriage and death records are 100% accurate. My own birth record states there was a child born to my mother before me … not so.

4. Besides your ancestors, do include yourself in noting important dates, locations, schooling, etc.  

5. Ask relatives for any family photos or documents they may have stored. Offer to assist them to locate them, scan them and label.

6. In doing a family tree, it is not just the gathering of all branches, with names and dates, it is the stories associated with individuals that makes a wonderful family history.

7. Don’t be stumped when you can not find anything on a certain ancestor. Put it aside for a month or two and then try some other sources or work to research their siblings.

8. Use your local Family History Center or a local genealogical society. They are always willing to help.

9. Be organized, have folders for each family branch or lineage.  

10. When a new family letter or document is located, read carefully every part of it and even have someone read it to make sure there is no ‘hidden’ bit of family details missed.

Related FamilyTree.com blogs:

Why Work on Your Family Tree

On Track with Research

Basic Ideas to Do Genealogy

< Return To Blog All very useful advice, I have learned not to trust online family trees. There are some shocking mistakes on these as people just mismatch families from census records. If only they could look at the facts first. But I feel that they are more interested in creating a family tree rather than checking that these people are actually their ancestors.
Owain 19/11/17




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