Rediscovering your family roots can be a beautiful process that can end in mystifying results. Too often, we’re so caught up with living in the present that we completely forget about the past. What would our ancestors think of us now? What were they doing at this age? What life events did they encounter? There’s a lot that you can find out with the help of genealogy researchers.
Genealogy researchers are seasoned detectives who can put together clues and scattered pieces of data to create a comprehensive picture of your heritage. Here’s how they trace your ancestors:
Identify what you already know
The #1 rule of genealogy is to go from what you know to what you don’t know. Quite often, you’d discover that your “unique” family name isn’t that unique at all and that a lot of people shared that same name while living in the same area at the time. Researchers require you to be open and honest about everything you already know to avoid wasting time on discovering things that won’t be of any use to you.
Write down everything you know in a standard form, and make sure to include important genealogical information like names, relationships, marriages, deaths, dates, and place of birth. They’re going to interview you beforehand, so make sure you’ve gathered as much data as possible from relatives and family stories.
Establish a research goal
Researchers can’t provide you with an entire encyclopedia’s worth of information in just 24 hours. Based on the amount of time you give them and the kind of information you require, you can get more detailed data.
They will review your compilations and determine what’s missing. Then they’ll you to provide a list of any missing pieces that you’re aware of and what families or individuals intrigue you. Genealogists focus on only one question at a time, and multitasking can lead to confusion and potential errors.
Research
After gathering all the requirements and basic data, researchers then systematically get through the list of questions that need to be researched, recording every piece of information they find. Sources are important, as names or dates without any proof are just hearsay.
Professionals have access to the same publicly available information that you do. They might have more resources through paid subscriptions, but their skills lay in sifting useful information from the huge amounts of data waiting to be discovered. Learning geography and social setting of their subjects are vital data that can be a great help to the search process.
Analyze
Just reading through data isn’t enough. Researchers consider any possible connections, the societal norms of the time, popular spots your ancestors may have visited, and more. More missing pieces of information are sure to be identified in this step, leading to the research to begin anew.
Expert Genealogy Research Services in Ireland
My Ireland Heritage is made up of top-notch ancestry research experts. From Galway to Meath, we take every step imaginable to find genealogy records of your family’s house, lives, and church. We also provide historical tours to famous heritage sites in Ireland to help you imagine your ancestors’ daily life even better.
Contact us today!
