27 Golden Rules of Genealogy...

Genealogy has rules. There are Do’s and there are Don’ts. There are Rights and Wrongs. Commandments to follow. And it pays to know and follow these rules from the beginning of your research. So let me share some Golden rules of genealogy with you … Let’s start with some Don’ts … Don’t expect to find your whole tree online. In fact if you find information online, don’t assume it is accurate. Don’t show living people in your online tree unless you have it hidden and Private. Don’t take information or photographs from others and not give anything back. Don’t expect that you can do it ALL for free. Don’t be a name-collector. Look for the stories that MAKE the people. Don’t believe everything on a Birth, Marriage or Death certificate. Don’t give up if you hit a brickwall. Take a look at it from a different direction. Don’t write on a chart in pen until you are 100% sure of the details. Don’t assume that if you can’t find the data you’re looking for on a website, that it doesn’t exist. Especially if that website infers that it would be there. Not everything is indexed or digitised yet. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of people willing to guide you on your genealogy journey. Don’t forget to write your OWN history. Afterall you know your own life history better than anyone else.   Now for the Do’s … Always start from yourself and work backwards. Get organised: both on your computer and your paperwork. Join a genealogy group or society. The more you mingle with other researchers the more you’ll learn. Do your homework and learn the social history of the area your ancestors came...

Ten, Eleven, Twelve Commandments of Genealogy...

As I was packing my bags, getting ready for the Queensland Expo next week, I picked up my all-time fav genealogy book “The Zen of Genealogy” and wondered if I’d have another read of it on the flight up. In short the answer was yes … so it’s going in the suitcase. After a flick through it again, I rediscovered the list of Ten, Eleven, make that Twelve Commandments of Genealogy liste, and decided I wanted to share them with you. I have not copied the descriptive paragraphs that each of these have under them, but rather if you want more, you should grab yourself a copy of the book. 1. Thou shalt start with thyself and worketh thy way backwards. 2. Thou shalt never leap back a couple of generations just because it sound-eth like fun. 3. Thou shalt take a class, yea verily, and thus shalt thou learn from experts. 4. Join-eth thine local genealogical society, go-eth to meetings and ask-eth questions of the nice people there. 5. Thou shalt keep a research log. 6. Thou shalt cite thy sources or blush in everlasting chagrin. 7. Thou shalt not accept any information uncritically just because you find it in books or on the Internet. 8. Thou shalt regard all family legends with the same skepticism as in the Seventh Commandment. 9. Thou shalt respect the privacy of all living persons, and publish nothing concerning others without their permission. 10. Thou shalt treat research facilities, materials and tools with care, knowing that thousands of future researchers will need to use these very same facilities, materials and tools after you, and one them might be me. 11. Thou shalt bookmark the following web site www.cyndislist.com 12. Be nice to...