Writing a Genealogy

1. Possess plenty of time, energy, and a detective ability.
2. Visit relatives, libraries, historical societies, courthouses, churches, and cemeteries.
3. Obtain a grasp of American history and local history.
4. Consider writing a short article to be published in a periodical prior to publishing a book.

Record (instead of storing information in your head)

1. Notetaking

• Skim for pertinent information
• Always read preface, introduction, and table of contents
• Record consistently. All speculations and hearsay should be so marked!
• Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

2. Documentation (Happiness is knowing where it is!)

• Author, Title, Publisher, Place of Publication, Date, Page number, Name of library where source was found

3. Reproduce important documents.
4. Always proofread everything.

Evaluate and Re-Evaluate

1. Common Sense
2. Accuracy
3. Consistency