Family history research is a journey of discovery. In a way, it’s like being in your own classroom with ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/question-face-180x300.png\")
a great teacher and a vast array of resources. Picture yourself there. Would you say to the professor, “OK, tell me all I need to know about geography (or history, or whatever)”? Or would you take the time to think about the specific questions you really wanted to know about? The professor would probably really appreciate the latter approach!<\/p>\n
Yet we may be tempted to fall back on the easy approach with family history research. Starting your journey with “I need to fill in these gaps in my pedigree chart” is a bit like expecting all the information to come to you at once. Asking the right questions not only gets you better results, but it gets you invested in your ancestors’ lives and who they were<\/em>. This can be a powerful for driving your research ahead, as curiosity will open many doors.<\/p>\n Let’s take a look at\u00a0the art of asking research questions. A premature or vague\u00a0question may\u00a0lead you down\u00a0the wrong\u00a0path, while\u00a0well-thought-out\u00a0questions\u00a0can open the\u00a0doors to\u00a0discovery.<\/p>\n Identifying a Research Line<\/strong><\/p>\n In Project 4: Discover of The Family History Guide, let’s take a look at Goal 2: Identify a Line to Do\u00a0Research On<\/a>. Choice A is the warm-up; it discusses\u00a0how to find ancestors with missing information, such\u00a0as dates, places, unknown parents, etc. The article in\u00a0Step 3 has some good tips on deciding where to start,\u00a0and the FamilySearch video emphasizes choosing an\u00a0ancestor with a name and date and location of a life\u00a0event (birth, marriage, or death). This will make it\u00a0easier to find records for that individual.<\/p>\n Sample Questions to Ask<\/strong><\/p>\n In Choice B, think about Step 1 for a moment. It says: “Ask\u00a0the questions you’re most interested in: Why Step 2 points you to a helpful video from Ancestry\u00a0that helps you formulate good, specific questions for\u00a0research. You can also post these questions to\u00a0genealogy forums, user groups, and Facebook pages to get extra help. And while you’re on these help sites, be sure to notice the types of research questions that others are asking. The better the questions a person asks, the better the responses from the forum are likely to be.<\/p>\n Step 3 links to an article from the Brick Wall\u00a0Genealogist. It reminds us that the questions we need to consider usually have to deal with identity, relationship, events, and situations. It also explains how to take an overall, high-level question and break it down into smaller questions\u00a0that can guide your research.<\/p>\n Other Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n In The Family History Guide, the Vault has a number of interesting\u00a0articles and videos to help with your basic research. In the Research Basics<\/a> section, the article titled “How to Guess Where to Start” can give\u00a0you some additional ideas on crafting questions for\u00a0your research efforts. The Research Strategies<\/a> section also provides some good pointers on how to proceed, as does Goal 6: Solve Problems<\/a> in Project 4 of The Family History Guide.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n Take the time to ask specific, focused questions about your research, and you’ll find that your research will become specific and focused as well. Instead of hoping for the answers to come to you, you’ll be knocking on the doors where the answers are hiding!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/detective-150x150.png\")
did an\u00a0ancestor move? Are there missing children in a gap\u00a0on a family group record?” Choosing a question you\u00a0are interested in will help you drive your research\u00a0and keep trying alternatives if you get stuck.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/question-banner.jpg\")
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