Genealogy Research: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid

Whether you’re just getting started researching your family history or have been doing genealogy for years, everybody makes mistakes. But if you have them in mind, you can take steps to make sure you don’t make some of the common mistakes that befall genealogists at some time or another.

Here are five common genealogy mistakes for you to avoid:

1. Making assumptions

One of the easiest and most common mistake to make is to make assumptions about the relatives you are researching. If you find records for people with the same name, it’s easy to assume that they are for the same person. Make sure you compare multiple lines of evidence to ensure the information you found is for the right person.

You also don’t want to assume the information found in the records is correct. Even historical records can contain mistakes, so be sure to compare what you find to other lines of evidence.

2. Forget to cite sources

When entering facts into your family’s profiles, it’s easy to forget to cite where that information came from. Remember to include where you found the data so you can easily refer back to it later. By adding sources to your Geni profiles, others will also be able to see where the information came from and know that the information on the profile is accurate. Learn how to add sources to your Geni profiles.

3. Don’t talk to family

Many people forget that their living relatives are very valuable resources. Talk to your relatives to learn what they know about your family history. You’ll especially want to talk to your older family members before it’s too late. Capture their stories and memories now before they are lost forever.

4. Confuse dates

Pay attention to dates. Date formats can differ between countries with some records listing dates starting with the month and day, while others may list dates as day and month. Make sure you also know what calendar system they were using at the time too. It’s very easy to confuse dates from religious calendars, the Gregorian calendar, Julian calendar, etc.

Also, make sure you don’t confuse an event date with the date the event was registered or recorded. Read the document carefully to ensure you are getting the correct information.

5. Don’t set genealogy research objectives

Genealogy research can be overwhelming and starting your research without setting some objects is a good way to get lost. Set up some research goals at the beginning of your search to stay focused and to keep track of what you have found and where you need to continue to research.

Have you made these common mistakes? What other mistakes would you tell your past self to avoid?