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Bring to Life Those Dead Ends in your Genealogy Research |
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Written by Chad Cook
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Wednesday, 02 August 2006 |
If you are into genealogy, you may at some point in time hit a dead end. It is just a fact that dead ends are a part of this hobby, and they are frustrating. However, you will want to have strategies which will help you to get over, around, or through many of these dead end obstacles in your family searches. Here are a few tips which may assist you when you run into a dead end and also save you some time from totally pulling your hair out. Though these tips will not solve all of your problems, but they should be able to get you through some of your obstacles and back on the genealogical research trail...
Most of all, consider doing different networkings. Though message boards, email lists, and newsletters are likely already a part of your genealogical search, you should lean on them even more in the circumstances that you have hit a dead end. The worst thing you can do when you run into some sort of obstacle is to isolate yourself from others who may be able to help. By using the message boards and email lists, you are adding more wisdom to the problem solving process, which certainly cannot be a bad thing, can it? If you do not already belong to message boards or email lists, then you really should. They can assist you with your investigating, act as more support in tough times, and can even give you advice on strategies for finding additional information.
Another tactic for overcoming your genealogical dead end is to go back over everything you have already done. Always make sure you have covered all of your steps. Otherwise you can be very upset when you come to find out that you spent months working on a problem you could have solved in the first five minutes. Many websites and books on genealogy offer checklists for just this precise issue. They will assist you in makeing sure you have done all of the prominent things you can do to solve the problem you are experiencing. Review some of your how-to genealogy books or brochures to make sure you didn't get careless and jump over a step that could get you out of the predicament you have landed in.
As a last resort and this absolutely should be your last resort, you can hire a professional genealogist. Despite what others who do this for fun might tell you, there are times when you should think about hiring a professional. Regardless, if you do find yourself thinking about a professional, check out a few of the genealogy websites that will tell you when you should and should not consider hiring a professional. After you review all of the information and you still think hiring a professional is the right thing to do, then make certain you do serious research on who to hire and how to hire them. There is even published information on how to do this. Then, at least you will know whether or not it is a good idea to hire a professional and how to do it. With all of the supposed professional genealogists out there, you must always make sure that you are acquiring a legitimate one that will absolutely help you overcome your obstacles.
Lastly, you can always just postpone the mess for a while. It may sound a tiny bit odd, but sometimes you just need to get disconnected a bit from a mess before you can indeed tackle it again. Work on another part of your family tree or a different portion of your genealogy project for a while and just forget about your dead end. Then, after a few days, or maybe even weeks, get it back out and look at the mess with a fresh eyesight. You may surprise yourself with how quick of a solution you can come up with after a break.
Genealogy can be a lot of fun and a great pastime. However, when you hit those inevitable dead ends, it can be immensely frustrating as well. If you find that you have hit a dead end, then you need to understand how to handle it. By following these steps outlined here, you will be able to beat the majority of these dead ends. However, there are times in which a dead end is a dead end, so just follow these tips and do the best you can. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 August 2006 )
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