The Ten Most Common Mistakes Made By Beginning Genealogists

Tracing your ancestry can be fun but it isn’t always easy. You certainly don’t want to spend your search time banging your head against brick walls that probably can’t be torn down. Amateur and professional genealogists may differ widely in their approaches but the consensus is that there are ten common mistakes that can really slow you down. Although every person – as well as every search – is different, you can always glean something useful from the mistakes of those who have gone before.

Judging by some of those who have researched long and hard, like Lynn Kessel White, who has specialized in Florida and Georgia genealogy for more than ten years, most beginners tend to make a lot of the same errors, adding months, and sometimes even years, to their searches.

"I think the biggest waste of time is having to go back after finding the data and trying to remember where you got that information," White said. "At that point you don’t know if you got it from family members, or online or at a library. What’s happening is that you end up duplicating your work. Retracing your tracks."

So here are some of the things the pros say can cost you time and effort:

Forgetting to document a source of information. You look at it and say "OK, now I’ve got it, but where did it come from?"
Letting older relatives die before you ask them their story. Strangely, passing family stories doesn’t seem to be a habit anymore.
Assuming anything is a mistake. Just because the name and date of birth match doesn’t mean that’s the person you are seeking. Only hard data is real proof.
Not tape recording live interviews with living elders.
Accepting someone else’s research without verifying a fact. You can’t trust something just because you trust a person – or even a publication. Get to the source.
Not taking full advantage of all the resources available like churches, cemeteries, libraries, community archives and your own family attic.
Searching for only one spelling of a surname when spellings often got changed during immigration- migration or simply in error.
Spending too much time on the wide spectrum. Narrow the search one family member at a time.
Not planting enough "seeds" that could germinate into information at a later time. Talk longer to people you encounter even if they can’t help with the family member you’re tracing at the time. Work harder at gleaning bits and pieces of information from each one, and post more queries online on genealogical sites such as this one. Get the word out there that you’re doing a search.
Being afraid to ask for help is a biggie. Why people are so afraid to ask others to help them in their search is mystifying, but true. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Go to those societies; cemeteries; tombstone-makers and funeral directors. And remember, there are plenty of people who do this type of research for a living. Hiring a professional for a portion of a search, or even for information about one elusive family member could be a good idea.