5 Biggest Roadblocks in Genealogy
"A Genealogist's tips for Success" - Part 1
We feel your pain. We've been there before. We have Advil.
Genealogy is such a wonderful thing, you know? I mean, there’s nothing selfish about wanting to recognize the people who came before you, the people who form the building blocks of who you are. You’re willing to donate your time and money and hair follicles trying to find out who these people are and were. You don’t have to do it, you want to do it.
So why isn't the hobby easy? Simple? Shouldn't it be?
Here are 5 roadblocks we've dealt with over time.
1. DOLLARS AND SENSE:
Genealogy can be expensive, let’s face it. First, you go down to your local bookstore or wholesale outlet and pick up software that can categorize the volumes of research you've done. You need a way to put this precious material in order, but do you want to fork out the 80$ to do it? And what about a records searching website? Is a 150$ annual subscription worth it to search for something that you’re not even sure exists? How about state certified records?
I once wrote the state of New York for death records for my great-great grandfather, hoping it would have his parents’ names on it. I had all the correct info, slogged through the minutiae of finding the right person to send it to, included the certified check for 45$ or 50$ (note that they wouldn't take a personal check, grrrrrr). About six months later (yes, six months ... not days or even weeks), I received a note back that they couldn't find it—with no refund. See, genealogy research can be expensive—and there’s no promise of getting anything in return.
2. PERPLEXING INDEXING:
I once searched the 1850 census for a man named Truman Bowen, a relative who hangs on my wife’s family tree as a great-great-great uncle (EDITOR’S NOTE: This guy must have been a really great guy, you know, because his genealogical title insists it is so). After a few years of looking, I found him by triangulating ... using family members to help pinpoint the household in the 1850 census. It turns out the enumerator in 1850 recorded him as Tillman Boyd, an error even soundex won’t catch. Maybe the enumerator hadn't had his coffee yet? I’ll bet he didn't think he’d create headaches 160 years later. Luckily, Truman’s wife’s first name was consistent and all of the children were correct, and their ages checked out.
We also were able to submit a correction with facts to back it up and hopefully no future researcher will deal with this. There was also the time that the present-day transcriber just read the census wrong. My great-great-great grandfather is Joseph Knox McLaughlin. For some reason the 1860 census enumerator listed Joseph’s middle name in the census rolls, and the present day transcriber changed my indexed surname to Knox instead of McLaughlin—the whole family is in the index as Knox. We submitted a correction on that one too. These are just some of the many landmines you will encounter, the kind that force you to think outside the box.
3. MY ANCESTORS WERE FROM WHERE? REALLY?:
There’s nothing like finding that long-lost ancestor in your research, and then seeing multiple versions of his or her birthplace or birth date. I found an ancestor once—his name will remain anonymous to protect him from embarrassment—and various researchers had his birth place(s) as the following: 1) Salem, Illinois (correct one), 2) Lincoln County, Tennessee; 3) Chester, South Carolina; 4) Papua, New Guinea; 5) Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Now, I like to think my ancestors were worldly. They may have heard of 4 and 5, maybe, but I seriously doubt they were jetting around the globe getting born at these locations. Something just tells me that some sort of computer error or auto-correct feature on some database gave my ancestor these wonderful birthplaces. It gave new meaning to “getting around”, if you know what I mean (no offense to the people of Tanzania).
4. I’M OLDER THAN MY MOM:
I am no mathematician, but I know faulty math when I see it. When I was 6 or 7 years old, my grandmother told me she was turning 39. I already knew that my mom was about 30, so I called out Grandma on her math. Turns out she had other motives, it wasn't that she didn't know math. At any rate, there’s nothing like running across a fellow researcher’s family tree and seeing that somebody in their tree is older than their own parents. Yet, alas, you see it all the time. To me, this is frustrating and an immediate red flag ... do not use this person’s research. They didn't even spend the time to check the dates and see if they even made sense, you can just imagine what other more complex errors were made.
5. THE “I FLUNKED PRESCHOOL” RESEARCHER:
Remember when we were 4 or 5 years old, and we were told repeatedly that not only should we share, we should want to share. Sharing is the essence of genealogy. It may even lead to a connection with a real flesh-and-blood distant cousin. Yet we run into knuckleheads all the time who horde their data—much of which has come from ... you guessed it ... other people who shared it. There’s nothing like finding a golden nugget hint, clicking on it online, and getting a message that “this researcher does not share info”. I give those people an F.
There obviously are frustrations in this line of research. Unlike death and taxes, there are no definites in genealogy research. Sometimes you’re going to feel like somebody is purposefully sending you on a wild goose chase on the wrong proverbial continent. But that’s what makes the success that much sweeter. This isn't a 5 question pop quiz where the teacher gave you all the answers the day before ... there are roadblocks, and you can navigate them.
Because ... by golly ... you’re a genealogist. You've already proven you are special, and smart, and witty, and just all around wonderful.
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Friday, June 12, 2015
Recommended Web Sites!
- Internet Public Library . The “Reading Room” is interesting. Books, magazine, journal links and much much more.
- File Extension Resource. Ever wonder what those extensions mean on a file? Check this site out for thousands of extensions, what they mean, and what programs open them
- The Purdue University Online Writing Lab ...MLA guidelines in research papers, and citing all sources from a single book to government ...
- New York Public Library's Digital Gallery provides free and open access to over 640,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs and more.