A RESEARCH TO DO LIST

How many times have we thought we checked everything then somebody points out something we forgot. The Genealogy Tip of the Day provided us with a pretty good checklist of all the things we should've done.

The reality is that there is no trick or instant solution to genealogical research problems. However, generally speaking, the following approaches are helpful:

• citing your sources;
• learning as much as you can about all the records in the area;
• learning the history of the area;
• having contemporary maps;
• obtaining as many records as possible;
• using compiled sources (published genealogy books, online trees, etc. ) as stepping stones to original records;
• realizing assumptions may not be true;
• continuing to learn about genealogical research in general;
• proofing and double checking your work.

Not one trick and not a guarantee, but these general suggestions will go a long way.