Tracing Your Family Roots: Expectation & Level Setting

So you want to dig deeper and discover more about your family and figure out what it all means in the grand scheme of things.  Great!  This means you'll need to construct a family tree.  You have to start somewhere and now is just as good as a time as any to get started.  This particular post will help you level set as well as give you a gauge as to what you should expect when embarking on a constructing a family tree.

So here are some things you need to know and some things that you need to consider before constructing a family tree and tracing your roots:

1. Family research and genealogy is not for the faint of heart!  Although this hobby is a lot of fun, it can also be very frustrating.  You have to be very disciplined in how you approach your research.  There is a lot of information out there and it can be overwhelming, which brings me to my next point.
2. You MUST be organized.  Modern technology has advanced genealogy by leaps and bounds and because of this you will need software that will help you keep track of it all.  You will need to create at least 2 different systems of organization for your research: an electronic system (probably multiple) and manual (good ole file folders and notebooks) system to organize and track your research.
3. You will need money.  With anything in life, it's going to cost you some money.  For those in the beginning stages of traditional genealogy research, plan to spend between $100 and $250 on various subscription services each year.  There are plenty of free sites; however with anything that is free, there will be some limitation on what it is you will and can find.
4. Expect to visit city, county and state libraries.  Although it would be absolutely fantastic to conduct 100% of your research online, it's just not feasible.  Delaying or simply not taking a trip to the library (especially the state library/archives) could cost you months, if not years of research.  If you do not live in the state in which you need to research, there are ways around this.  I'll discuss these options in another blog post.  
5. You must have patience.  You WILL hit a few roadblocks and brick walls.  There's no other way to put it other than to say, you will become extremely frustrated when a roadblock occurs.  Some roadblocks will work themselves in due time.  Due time may be a few weeks, a few months or even a few years.  Some roadblocks will work themselves out using genetic genealogy, which is a more advance phase and an extension of traditional genealogy.
6. Start making friends.  You'll need a fairly good amount of assistance constructing your family tree.  If you're not good at asking for assistance, I suggest you start practicing.  Join groups on social media that center around research.  Reach out to various county and state historical societies.  You'll be surprised at how generous and knowledgeable people are in the genealogy community.  Someone is always willing to help you, even if they don't have the answers. 
7. Get your family involved.  Your family will be your best resource for gathering information.  If it weren't for my maternal grandmother and her cousins, I wouldn't no as much as I do about my maternal line.  There was a family tree already constructed for me with a couple hundred names spanning 7 generations.  Family lore is a great source as it may contain clues about an ancestor's or a relative's life.

1. Make Time.  You must make time to construct your family tree and your family history.  Genealogy research is ongoing and it is constant.  There will be periods of time in which you will be utterly and completely obsessed with research and other times when you're working at a snail's pace.  On the inverse of making time for research, also give yourself a break.  Although I cannot tell you what is a reasonable amount of research time per week, I can say that in my beginning stages, I probably dedicated roughly 10-15 hours a week on constructing my tree. 
2. Keep an open mind.  Family secrets have a way of revealing itself through the course of research.  You may reveal some unsettling facts about an ancestor or relative that may or may not contradict your knowledge of the events as told to you.  Your ancestors/relatives often took things to the grave and some ancestors/relatives flat out lied about certain events or aspects of their life for whatever reason.  Ronald Reagan said it best, "Trust, but verify." So be flexible...keep an open mind...and take your research wherever the trail may lead. 
3. Be meticulous.  Besides being organized, you'll have to pay attention to the details, great & small. I can't tell you how many times I have overlooked a small detail that could have saved me some heartburn and heartache.  Save everything and throw away nothing.  You'll be surprised at how far a long you will be with your research and only to find that you have to revisit documents and notes from 5 years earlier.  
4. Pace yourself.  It's not a race.  You will always find something in the world of genealogy to do, why?  Because you're actually delving into history and constructing your family's history.  There are plenty of materials out there sift through.  Go through it slowly and carefully.  You don't want to miss anything.  Don't get bogged down by the small stuff either.  If you find yourself with a case of "paralysis by analysis", immediately stop and do something else.  You can't afford to waste time and resources on one specific thing.  So keep your pace steady but even. 
5. Have fun!   Remember this should be a fun experience.  Although we take this hobby very seriously, there's fun to be had.  Approach genealogy research in a manner in which it doesn't feel like a chore.

Happy Hunting!

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