Search Strategies
Making Accurate Connections
Don’t assume because something doesn’t match the data you have that the person isn’t the ancestor they are searching.
Don’t assume that someone is the person they are researching just because of circumstantial evidence.
Know when to say, “It’s a match” and when to move on.
Look for proof, but understand that sometimes you need to work with conjecture and sometimes that is all you will have. You just need to be clear what is proven and what is conjecture.
Can’t Find Your Relative In Records?
Look for other members of the family.
Look for prior neighbors as the name may be spelled completely wrong and you will find them near the prior neighbor.
If you are sure of the location and the population is small enough, manually scan census records.
Search newspapers for the family.
If possible, visit local genealogy libraries and courthouses.
How Are You Related?
Look for other members of the family.
If members of both families have tested, follow the DNA.
Follow the family trees. If the trees don’t obviously connect, look for names and/or locations common between the trees.
Be open to the possibility that someone’s parent in the tree may not be who it is on paper.
Starting Point for Adoptees Or Unknown Parents
If you have a name, research it. However, don’t be too attached to the name. Often the name a mother or other family member provides is incorrect. The original birth certificate may also be incorrect, especially on the father’s name, but sometimes on the mother’s name.
If you haven’t, do a DNA test. If you are in the U.S.A, ancestry.com has the most DNA test results, so it is often the best place to start.
After a DNA test, look at your closest matches and try to find common names and build trees. If close matches don’t have trees, don’t hesitate to use trees from more distant matches to start filling in your research tree. Continue to work through the matches using DNAPainter.com to determine possible relationships.