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Should this information be included somewhere or is it already here?

{| width="600" border="0" align="center" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" Article? The “missing” step

Do I really want to get involved with a genealogy project?
 Include a sketch of a mother helping an infant to take their first step. The very first baby step when getting involved with a genealogy project is always the hardest. This first step is the decision itself wherein one has to decide if they are willing to expend the time and energy needed to achieve their goals. To get ready for that first step lets do a little crawling. Since you are the one that sets those goals you first need to know what are some of the goals are that you could set for yourself. Do not set yourself up to fail. It is better to start off with smaller goals which you can change over time rather then to hit your first brick wall (it happens to everyone) and then decide that this is stupid and quit or just burning out as this can become overwhelming.

What is genealogy?
Genealogy is the study of a family’s origins and history and is often referred to as family history. The first known use was in the 14th century to describe a pedigree of royal, aristocratic, or clerical lines. Some family trees, like that of Confucius, have been found to list 80 generations dating back 2,500 years.

Initially passed down by word of mouth it is currently of international interest and access to more and more on-line records has resulted in significant advances in its documentation and display capabilities. As it was with an ancient king’s genealogy which showed his relationship to the gods, today’s family histories continue to be a form of storytelling to preserve the past for future generations. In today’s climate, the more accurately one can document the past the more likely it will survive through the ages. Today’s genealogy can take the form of simply collecting and preserving family information, all the way up to adding information to the “world tree”.

What goals can be set when starting a family history?
The very first goal can be one of the easiest, one of the most rewarding, and is actually the most important. Other goals can be slowly and progressively added as one becomes more and more interested and confident when researching your family’s history. It is important to remember that this endeavor can take the form of a hobby, a passion, a vocation, a career, or a legacy and if kept in the correct perspective it can be quite rewarding.

1. Preserving information and memories (questions and answers).

 * Just ask questions before it’s too late (before it is forgotten or your ancestors are no longer accessible). Who are those people in the old photographs?
 * Getting others involved (siblings or aunts and uncles) by asking them to ask questions of others.
 * Get the young children to help by asking their grandparents even more questions.
 * Start making contacts outside your direct family (your “cousins” from distant relatives) but be ready for the occasional dispute as information or low quality sources could lead to different conclusions.
 * Build a network both inside and outside the direct family as the unavoidable set backs will be easier to weather if discussed with others.
 * Find out more than just the dry facts of where and when they lived. Find out how they lived, their lifestyle growing up, and their motivations. Make it interesting for yourself as well as others who may eventually read your information (storytelling) and may someday be a collaborator or may pick up the torch where you left off.
 * And finally, ignore the naysayers as they will never have any interest in researching your family’s history (that is their loss not yours).

As mentioned earlier this first goal is the most important because it is defined by a finite time limit. Recording the information and memories of the previous generation will be lost forever if action is not taken immediately. So if you do nothing else, at least find and record as many of these answers as possible and collect copies of all the old photos and documents. You will regret it later if you don't..

2. Collecting/storing documents and photos for you (and for future generations).

 * Digitizing and restoring old photographs and documents.
 * Storing results in multiple places in case of disasters.

3. Organizing what you have already collected (on a computer for quick access and for strategic planning.

 * Too much data can become overwhelming so at some point a better “filing” system will become necessary.

4. How do I keep myself (and others) from burning out?

 * When you hit the inevitable brick wall, take a step back or redirect your goals to other family lines. That wall may never go away but as new information becomes available on-line the wall could just as easily disappear. When searching other family lines of your cousins (not in your direct lineage) clues could appear which would take you around or over that brick wall.

5. Searching for more (what information is missing?).

 * Software programs are available to search both ancestral lines as well as descendant lines.

See next article: Once you have committed.

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