Genealogy Hacks for Researching Ancestors

Summer has started for us! Yay! If you’re reading this and it’s not summer yet, then pretend it is. This article is the first in a series of genealogy hacks that may or may not be new to you. The goal is to help you see that you CAN do small steps with the little time you have whether it’s summer or not at your house. I’m finding that when I change my mindset of “I can’t I don’t have time” to “I have 15 minutes to do this one genealogy step” I’m much better at being more efficient. Some days I don’t get to all of my genealogy goals and that’s O.K.! Genealogy is a marathon journey not a sprint. The records will still be waiting when my next opportunity comes. I just try to create as many opportunities as I can. Let’s get started!

Genealogy Hacks: Build a family tree online (if you haven’t already)

The first of many genealogy hacks might be a no-brainer if you’re into family history. But when was the last time you looked at your online family tree to see what’s happening on it. If your tree is public, then other people may have found new information that they’ve added to your tree. If your tree is private, then you definitely have more control over it, but less help from other interested people. Now the main family trees that I’m familiar with are Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. However, there are many genealogy websites that have family trees on them such as MyHeritage.com and FindMyPast.com. These last two are more popular with family historians outside the U.S. However, many U.S. family historians use them as well.

I explain more in depth how to create a Family Search.org account and family tree here if you’re interested in learning more about it. So I’m not going to explain it in this article. However, the main purpose of Family Search is to have one big family tree all over the world. They do this because they want people to share their ancestry with one another and make connections. Their perspective is that people won’t share their trees if everyone has a private one. You still have a lot of control over your tree, but it won’t be private.

Ancestry.com has the option to make your tree public or private. The website still makes both public and private trees available to view when someone does a search. However, only the public trees can be viewed in detail once the tree is clicked on. You have to contact the person in charge of the private tree to view it.

Learn Your Software

I mean REALLY learn it! I’m talking about your personal computer software specifically for genealogy such as RootsMagic, AncestralQuest, etc. This genealogy hack is my life blood when keeping all of my ancestors and my client’s ancestors organized. Take the time this summer to watch short tutorials on how to use it to your advantage. It doesn’t take long. The videos that I’ve watched so far have only been 5 minutes. The goal is to speed up your research so that you can get more out of the little time you have. If you know how your software works, not just the basic buttons, then you can get more done.

For example, RootsMagic has an option to color code anybody. It’s very useful if you want to keep the family lines separate if you’re jumping back and forth. Or you can use it to highlight one person or family that you’re specifically working on so you can find them easier.

RootsMagic also has links to FamilySearch and MyHeritage that will pop up hints if that ancestor is found more records from other people’s family trees. I’ve found a few records that way for a couple of my clients that have noticeably sped up my research.

These two genealogy hacks can be done by yourself or with the family. I know it’s sometimes easier to do it yourself, but this may be a good opportunity to introduce your kids to genealogy. They can help you with the tech part as you help them learn about their ancestors.

The point is to actually DO these simple things instead of just knowing about them. We all know we need a family tree, but have we kept it updated? Do we really know our genealogy software program? Pick one! Put it on your summer calendar and do something for yourself!

In the meantime….good luck and happy hunting!

Tiffany

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