Top 5 Gold rules in genealogy

Good practices to follow to start, develop and have fun doing your genealogy.

Whether you are a beginner or confirmed in the search for your ancestors, it is essential to follow certain golden rules to progress effectively and avoid errors. In this article, we present the five good practices to adopt to start, develop and have fun doing your genealogy. Follow these wise advice and discover your family history with confidence!

1 - Check and cross the sources

It is the most important golden rule: check, check and check again by crossing the sources!

But why is it important? Quite simply because it is the basis of the work of any researcher: to base yourself on facts, evidence.

Many genealogists still use information contained in family trees published on online genealogy sites. But, these can contain errors! Errors of dates, places, homonymy, involuntary or deliberate, which can have consequences on the whole of your genealogy. 

To avoid these pitfalls, the genealogist has several means to find evidence, acts or other manuscripts of the time: online archives, visits to the departmental archives, requests for acts with municipalities and departments, reports of genealogy circles ...

The act is the key and the best way to check, confirm or deny the information found on online trees. This also brings us to our 2nd golden rule: 

2 - Center all the information of an act

The old act or manuscript is the key in genealogy. It is therefore essential to exploit it as much as possible. 

An act contains a lot of useful information to develop your genealogy: dates, places, names and first names of the nearby family, witnesses, sponsors and godmothers, etc.

The act is also the best way to immerse yourself in the life of its ancestors: did they know how to sign? What were their professions? Who made up their social circle? 

Identify all this information in notes, sources, on geneafinder and/or on paper will save you considerable time! 

And to obviously find a source, note it, quote it with its references. 

3 - Organize and stick to it over time

A good organization will save you time and save you many errors. 

This golden rule invites you to find a good working method and above all, to hold on it. 

Organizing your genealogy consists in systematizing your research, your way of identifying information, registering it, appointing sources and media ... 

This rigor will allow you to save time, avoid wasting data and enjoying putting your nose in your genealogy ...

4 - Be patient and share your finds

The genealogy is time -consuming, then the genealogist must be patient. 

Genealogical blockages can be numerous and taking a step back is always a good idea. 

Sharing your genealogy is also a good way to help you unlock your genealogy.

5 - Be curious

Finally, be curious! You are probably already if you have decided one day to start the genealogy. To be curious in genealogy is to open up to resources that one would not have imagined. We multiply online research, we move to the departmental archives, we read, we search, we reread, we connect, and we keep the mind open! A track is a track, and it is by dint of tracks that we ended up going up the thread of an ancestry ...

You now have all the keys in hand to calmly start the quest for your ancestors ...

Good research!