Helpful Tips for Happy Hunting

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If you are new to genealogy, here are a couple of helpful tips to keep in your arsenal:

 

1. BE POLITE:  Please and Thank You are not a foreign language.  

2. ​BE CONCISE and DIRECT: When asking for information - it's best to give as much info as you can and stick to one topic.  It'll be hard for some of us (who's got 2 thumbs and talks too fast - THIS GIRL), but it is the best way to get the info you need without a dramatic story about your one eyed pet goat Matilda who loved a wee dram of Jameson every now and again.

3. BE RESPECTFUL: When you visit a government office - recognize that, although this is an exciting event for you, it is however for them not part of their job description to hand-hold your research.  Call ahead, and be mindful of government deadlines (no one wants to help if they are mid-tax season and the phone is ringing off the wall).  Be respectful of your surroundings - an 18th century cemetery is not the place to bring children or animals who would rather be anywhere else.

4. BE MINDFUL: Most older neighborhoods are a little worse for wear in their location.  It may be hard to resist the urge to crawl under an overgrown train tressal to look for an ancestor in an abandon cemetery behind a machine shop - PLEASE, TRY.  Never, EVER go alone. After all that's what friends are for, to give you the side-eye and say, "Really?"       Mum always said "if the street lights are on, you should be at home."

5. BE PREPARED: You've driven across the state to look in a huge archive, why not pack a water and a quiet snack.  Temperatures can be all over the place, inside and out - why not pack some hand warmers or a small paper fan.  Some of the writing can be impossibly small - why not bring a small plastic magnifying glass.  Depending on the location, some of these items might be a no-no, and be respectful of that.  And remember - no one appreciates listening to you munch on pretzle chips in the library or during a lecture. 

6. KNOW HOW TO USE YOUR SMART PHONE:  You can use your phone for GPS locations, to document later.  Take; edit; send photos immediately to your email account and then delete them.  VOILA! You have a TO-DO list in your email and free space on your phone for more pictures.  Most smart phones have voice recorders - USE THEM.  If you're talking to a researcher or attending a lecture - record it.  It is much easier to listen and take notes at your leisure than to scribble in a fury.   Your phone can also tell you that your mum is frantically wondering where you are because you haven’t answered her calls and she assumes you've been carted off by a giant Pterodactyl.

7. QUICKLY DOCUMENT RESEARCH:  Take a photo of the spine, the cover, the index, and 2-3 pages before and after the information you want.  You'd be surprised how often a document carries over to the next page and you might miss that.  Take a photo of the box of microfilm you're looking in.  Photograph an individual's business card or name plate (You remember, dude with the hat?  No, no one remembers that guy.)

8. SPELLING AND PAGE NUMBERS ARE FOR IDGITS:  The page number in the contents of the book may not be the page number in the ORIGINAL book. Nose around a little - you might find some very interesting tidbits a couple of pages later.  Our surname is FLINN, but you can easily find our ancestors under Flynn, Flin, Fenn, Fin, even Lynn.   OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is helpful but miles from perfect and this is how Flinn becomes FHnn.

9. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Researchers, Genealogists, Librarians, PEOPLE can be finicky if they think you are stealing their hard work.  Assuming you have the best of intentions and that you are not attempting to plagiarize - be aware that no matter how nice you are, they may not want to share.  Also - be aware that when someone asks about your research, it is not a free pass to prattle on and on.  Ask yourself: Is this person replying to anything I say? Are they asking questions? Are they conscious and upright?  No? Well....                                                                                                                                         Many a time a man's mouth broke his nose.

10. BEST ADVICE YOU'LL GET - STOP CARRYING ALL OF YOUR RECORDS WITH YOU.  You should not show up anywhere, ever with a suitcase full o crap.  Regroup.  I can guarantee no one will ever ask you to unpack a rolling cart of paperwork and explain each and every document. Think of all the time you'll save by not being at the chiropractor adjusting your genealogy addiction! 

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