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Do your genealogy to learn about your family and your place in that family, to leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren, and to research and trace your family's medical history.
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2.
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Meaningful genealogy requires thought. Develop a plan, "Why am I doing genealogy?" Set goals of what you plan to accomplish in a reasonable time frame, i.e., go back 4 generations, go back to the immigrant ancestor, do only my father's male line, etc.
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Female lines are as important as male lines. One-half of your ancestors are female.
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Genealogy is the search for our ancestors. Family history is the study of the lives they led. Using the information from each area provides us with a true picture of our family.
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Remember that each generation doubles the number of ancestors. It's easy to get lost if you don't plan ahead for your trip. Focus on one or two families. The others will still be there when you get to them.
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6.
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A generation is 22-25 years for a man and 18-23 years for a woman.
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7.
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When taking notes, use standard size paper, one surname per page. Record the source and identifying information so you can find it again, and the date and place you found info (volume and page). Use only accepted abbreviations (no homespun stuff). Understand basic terminology.
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8.
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Remember to document everything you find on your ancestors.
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9.
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Know your relationships: An ancestor is a person from whom you are descended. A descendant is a person who is descended from an ancestor. A relative is someone with whom you share a common ancestor but who is not in your direct line.
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10.
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To find a birth date from a death date, subtract the age in years, months and days from the date of death. This is a very close approximation.
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