Genealogy Resources: Tips & Tricks

Brainstorm other resources - 

• No death certificate? Try to find an obituary.
  • No obituary? Try to find a burial.
    • No burial? Check to see when person was last listed in a census.
• You might not get an exact date, buy you'll be able to narrow it down.

When you have John Smith Sr., John Smith Jr., and John Smith, III

• Associate them with another family member (spouse, child, parent, sibling) 
• Associate them with a locality (John Smith of Danville, KY)
• Associate them with a job (John Smith was a railroad worker)

If you can't find a direct line between child and parent

• Look for other relations (siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins) and see if you can draw a line between the other relation and the parent.

When you hit a brick wall

• Ask a librarian for assistance. 
• Look for a local genealogist who can help.
• Write up WHY you can't go any further and what you've tried. 

• Start with what you know.
  • Double check what you know. Assume all data is suspect until confirmed [no matter who tells you].
• Census records contain lots of good information. They are also often wrong.
  • Double check spellings and ages. 
  • Cross reference between censuses.
• The person may be referred to by their spouse's name. For example, the person born: Michelle LaVaughn Robinson might be referenced as Mrs. Barack Obama or Mrs. Obama or The Former First Lady or Barack Obama's wife.
• In the western world common names were/are often truncated: Thomas = Thos.  John = Jn.  This will affect your searches. A search for "Thomas Smith" will not discover "Thos Smith."
  • Common Abbreviations for English names
  • Common Abbreviations for Spanish names
• Naming convention and order depends on the culture. The U.S. uses the order: given name / family name. While Japan uses the order: family name / given name. This can affect your search results.
• Learn to read cursive writing. Brigham Young University has a Script Tutorial you may find useful.
• Know the history of the area the people lived in. What events might affect your research?

• Make sure you know your vocabulary. Basics are "birth", "death", "marriage", "baptism", "genealogy", "family history", "ancestors", "descendants", "parents", "child." Use google translate if you are unsure of what terms to use: https://translate.google.com/
• Is the culture matrilineal (following the mother's line), patrilineal (following the father's line), or bilateral (following both lines)?
• What are the naming conventions of the culture?
• Were they part of a religion? Are there important life events that are connected with that religion?
  • Baptism
  • Marriage
  • Death rites
  • Pilgrimage
• Is polygamy common? Family Search has tips for researching polygamy families: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Latter-day_Saint_Polygamy_Research
• Some countries will not allow you to request materials from outside their boundaries. You may need to contact a family member within the country to get the materials for you. When you are denied materials, ask what is the proper way to get them.