I find it is essential to have a family history program on my computer on which I can record the various family lines and their connections to other families. These programs usually allow notes and pictures to be added, or a general description of the area and nearby villages.
Many 'researchers' appear unwilling to carry out research beyond their own family name. This, I find is very restrictive and can be a little boring. One can soon run out of leads - and it is surprising how a little study of the census or parish records of a village ones ancestors lived in, can disclose names which are connected to other family lines. Such research indicates the sort of people they associated with in their everyday lives.
Family history research should not just be a case of connecting ancestors of one name together or aiming to gather together as many ancestors as possible - and especially those who are connected to royalty or a titled family (which seems to be the main and only aim of some researchers) but to try and discover who they were, who they knew and associated with, their occupations and who they worked for, how they met their spouses and the sort of lives they led.
How empty a family line is if it just consists of names, places and dates.
No comments:
Post a Comment