Top 24 of our genealogical tips
Find our 24 genealogical tips for beginners or confirmed with explanations and useful links!
1 - Check and cross your sources
This is the basis of genealogy! By checking in the archives and crossing the information, you minimize the risk of errors and avoid developing a bad branch.
2 - Exchange with the family
One of the best tips to give to someone who wants to embark on genealogical research is to chat with his nearby family. This makes it possible to collect precious information and to discover family stories and archives.
3 - Organize and stick
The organization is essential in genealogy! Find the method that suits you best and hold on the long term. This will make you gain in efficiency and save you from missing out on important information.
🌳 Genealogy by generation or genealogy by family/branch… It's up to you!
📓 Lifestyle, search book, to-do list, bullet journal, digital organizational tools ... There are many resources!
4 - Read old documents aloud
Reading old documents aloud can facilitate their understanding. Spelling and grammar depend on the date of the document and the level of education of its author. By reading aloud, phonetically, you will encounter less difficulties.
5 - Drizzle in the old press
The old press is a precious resource to immerse yourself in the daily life of its ancestors and sometimes even find their trace.
➡️ Retonews
6 - Use a genealogy lexicon
« Agnat », « Exogamie », « Puîné »… Pour tout comprendre de la généalogie, le lexique de généalogie est indispensable ! A garder toujours près de soi pour comprendre le vocabulaire usuel.
Some lexicons among so many others:
➡️ Genealogy lexicon - Francegenweb
➡️ Genealogical lexicon - Geneadic
➡️ Genealogy lexicon - ancestors murmurs
7 - Use our missing dates estimator
No more head calculations! The unique and free algorithm of Geneafinder Calculate the missing dates of your tree (birth, marriage and death), saving of time guaranteed!
To try it, it's here ➡️ https://geneafinder.com (Free registration)
8 - Take a step back
Inspirez, expirez… Vous passez des heures, des jours, des mois à tenter de dépasser un obstacle généalogique ? C’est le moment de faire une pause ! Plus on y passe de temps, moins on y voit clair…
⏸ Un conseil à vous donner, prenez du recul ! Quelques jours de pause, changez d’individu ou de sujet et revenez-y plus tard ! Mais attention, on n’oublie pas de noter ses recherches, fructueuses et infructueuses.
9 - Join Facebook groups and forums
Finding yourself between peers to exchange around your genealogy is a very good idea! Integrate groups or genealogist forums by country, region or department according to your research, the sharing of knowledge will only be more pleasant!
10 - Note everything
C’est évident pour certains, moins pour d’autres, en tous cas un réflexe à prendre pour maximiser ses recherches ! On note tout : la date d’un acte, les noms des parents, des parrains et marraines, les professions, les lieux et adresses exactes… Ces petits renseignements peuvent être des mines d’or, il ne faut pas les négliger.
We also note his fruitful and unsuccessful research, we avoid wasting time by looking (in vain) for the 5th time in the same register.
11 - Consult our list of useful abbreviations
You have loved it and shared many times (thank you!) So keep our list (non-exhaustive) of 400 Abbreviations and acronyms useful in genealogy In your favorites!
12 - Do research in Gallica
We love Gallica ! A mine of historical, cultural and genealogical information in free access ... What more could you ask for? Do research on a department, a village or even on one of your ancestors, you will find documents, images, the press or even cards.
13 - Choose a numbering method
Useful for some, useless for others ... It's up to you! There are several methods of numbering individuals in your family tree, all have advantages and disadvantages, you choose. The two main ones: SOZA numbering - Stradonitz mainly for the ascending genealogy and Aboville numbering mainly for the descending genealogy.
14 - Use our nominative search tool
Save time in your research with our nominative research tool. By entering the name and surname of an ancestor, we do the research for you in more than twenty genealogical and historical databases.
🤫 New bases will soon be added to expand research.
To try it, it's here ➡️ https://geneafinder.com (Free registration)
15 - Share your research
It is by sharing your obstacles and finds that you could learn more! Talk to those around you, to family members, on a blog or in forums, a cousin may be in the vicinity and holding useful indices ...
16 - Consult our antishers by department
Our antisches by department give you many genealogical, historical and cultural resources to help you find your ancestors and immerse you in their daily lives. Most are online and to find in the tab Resources of your Geneafinder space or on the blog !
17 - Understand the degrees of relatives
« Il est le fils du cousin germain de la tante de mon père » 🤔 Hmm… pas simple ! Petite illustration pour comprendre les degrés de parentés et pour (mieux) vous faire comprendre quand vous parlez d’un cousin éloigné !
18 - Compare the letters of ancient documents
For novices and enthusiasts of paleographies, after reading aloud manuscripts, we compare the forms of letters to find clues!
Some useful resources:
➡️ Paleography, the form of letters - Genealogy history
➡️ Paleography alphabet - Genealogical
19 - Do research in Google Books
Did you know? A research on Google Books avec « Nom Prénom » de votre ancêtre peut vous donner de chouettes résultats !
20 - Understand the implexes
Les imquoi ?! Comprendre les implexes en généalogie quand on débute, ce n’est pas chose facile ! Pour faire simple, un implexe est un ancêtre qui apparaît plusieurs fois dans un même arbre, ce phénomène est souvent définit par le terme de « consanguinité ». Pour en savoir plus, quelques explications et exemples concrets :
➡️ I as an implex - chronicles of yesteryear
➡️ Implex and consanguinity definition - Yvon genealogy
21 - In case of blocking, go through another family member
One of your ancestors plays hide and seek? Not easy! A tip, go through the brothers and sisters, or the cousins, to go up the track of this ancestor!
22 - Be curious
And yes, be curious! There is no doubt that you are already if you have started genealogy ... but search, peel, read, observe the clues left in the past!
23 - Note the spelling variations of the names
The spelling of family names has often evolved over time but also according to the written transcription of names called orally by the author ... Note all spelling variations is to avoid missing a branch and understanding the evolution of its surname.
24 - Use geographic cards
And yes! Cards are useful in genealogy, aren't they? To understand migration, imagine the life of its ancestors, tell the story of a village or a house ... Some useful sites:
➡️ From the villages of Cassini to today's municipalities
You are ready to carry out your genealogical research!
Good research!