Genealogy Goals for 2018

What are your genealogy goals for 2018? Get the new year started on the right foot by laying out what you  hope to accomplish this year.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Get your relatives to take a DNA test

If you’ve already taken a DNA test for genealogy, make a plan to encourage your relatives to take a DNA test too. This is especially important for your older relatives. Connect their results to the family tree on Geni to verify and confirm existing branches in the tree. You may even find more DNA matches, too! And if you haven’t taken a DNA test yet, now may be the best time to look into it. Check out what DNA test are available.

2. Get your research organized

Start the year off right by taking time to organize your genealogy research. Declutter your workspace by cleaning up documents, notes, photos, etc. You may even consider making an index for your binders and folders to keep track of your data. By starting off the year with everything neatly organized, you may be motivated to keep up the trend all year long. After all, it is definitely easier to stay organized if you do it as you go. See more tips to stay organized.

3. Scan your old photos and documents

Make this year the year you finally scan all your old photos and documents to your computer. Digitizing your documents and photos will help protect them from damage and preserve them for future generations. Once they are digitized, you can also easily upload them to your profiles on Geni to share with your family and the Geni community.

4. Tackle your brick walls

Revisit some of your brick walls and set a goal to try to bust through them. It’s helpful to go back and review what you already know and take a second look at documents for things you may have overlooked the first time around. Also consider researching close relatives for clues too. See more tips for overcoming your brick walls.

5. Be better about citing your sources

Many of us are guilty of this – we add names and dates to the family tree and forget to enter where the information came from. Set a goal this year to be better about adding your sources to your family tree on Geni. This helps others know where the information was found and give greater confidence to the accuracy of the World Family Tree. If you know you’ve neglected this in the past, review your tree and add those sources now.

6. Spend more time sharing and preserving family stories

Take the time to do more family interviews this year. Talk to your older relatives and get them to share their memories and family stories. Don’t forget to share what you have learned with your relatives as well.

7. Attend a genealogy conference

Set aside some time to attend at least one genealogy conference in your area. Conferences are a fantastic place to meet other genealogists and attend classes to help improve your genealogy research. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in the world of genealogy. There are a lot of great conferences coming up. Find out if there are any in your area and make plans to attend.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2018? Share your genealogy goals in the comments below!