The Real Rules of Genealogy

1. You are the only one who really cares. Don't tell your friends about this stuff. It is risky enough discussing these things with your spouse. You can discuss these things only with board-certified genealogists.

2. Spelling changes. Not until the mid 1800's did spelling start to stabilize. That was an outgrowth of the start of compulsory schooling. You are related to lots of people who spell their similar sounding names different from yours.

3. County borders change so you may wind up looking for records in places that no longer exist. Of course the physical places still exist but the records for that dead county or parish are kept over in some other place now.

4. When you travel somewhere to talk with some old family elder, expect them to withold some things or tell you completey wrong things. In some cases they will be speaking as honestly as they can remember. In other cases they have something to hide that still bothers them. When you encounter this, be very careful. You have created a conflict situation. You have to find a balance between respecting their sensibility and your desire for information. It helps when you are clear to let them know that your only purpose is to record history the way it really happened. The few people a hundred years from now who will want to know about this stuff will appreciate it.

5. Do it over. And over. You will be amazed to find things in places and documents you already have already been to or read. When you come across a pedigree chart that is in your line of interest, don't just read it. Re-type it.

Download a 4 Generation Pedigree Chart - Created using Microsoft Excel.

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