How Research Plans Can Up Your Genealogical Game

How Research Plans Can Up Your Genealogical Game

Research is more effective and productive if we make a plan before we dive in. Without planning, we run the risk of overlooking or misunderstanding important records. Learn the steps and techniques of research planning that will save time and frustration and can even help break down brick walls.
A Path to Your Next Research Steps: Using Timelines to Organize, Analyze and Evaluate Evidence

A Path to Your Next Research Steps: Using Timelines to Organize, Analyze and Evaluate Evidence

So you’ve done all this research – now what? How do you figure out what you have and what to look for next? Learn how timelines enable you to organize your information, evaluate your evidence, analyze research results for accuracy, and identify next research steps.

Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories.

Strategies for Adoption Research and Finding Other Missing Persons

Strategies for Adoption Research and Finding Other Missing Persons

Adoption touches many families. The search to reunite birth parents and birth children utilizes all research strategies. These same strategies are used to find relatives who have come up missing.

Connie is a full-time professional genealogist, author, and teacher. She is the author of the Oregon Guide to Genealogical Resources and a contributing author to national and local genealogical publications. She lectures at local, state, regional, and national conferences.

Pits I Have Fallen In and How to Avoid Them

Pits I Have Fallen In and How to Avoid Them

The best thing about making mistakes is the opportunity to learn from them. I’ve made my share of genealogical mistakes over the years, but I’ve learned that most of them have resulted from faulty assumptions. In this talk, we’ll examine eight commonly-held but incorrect assumptions and consider some strategies and resources to help head off errors before they happen.

Pam Vestal is a professional genealogist, writer, and speaker from West Linn, Oregon, and the owner of Generations Genealogy, LLC. She lectures throughout the western United States, and her work has been published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.

Research Plan

Ready-Set-Plan! Developing a One-Step Research Plan

The probability of creating a successful research project is greatly enhanced when the project begins with a precise statement of research goals and reasoning for the process. A strong basis of collected information is required for a solid, research plan. It is essential that a researcher be familiar with the data or evidence gathered about the subject and location of the project. A researcher with experience and knowledge of this base will be more likely to develop a good plan. This lack of knowledge about the principal research subject is the most likely reason a genealogical research plan will stumble or fail. Learn a simple technique for breaking down difficult research problems into manageable segments. Learn to get more research done while remaining focused.

J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA is a full-time professional genealogist, author, and lecturer. While sharing personal experiences that help beginning and experienced researchers gain new skills and insights for research, he specializes in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. Mark lives in Robertson County, Tennessee, along the Kentucky border.