[reposted from November 2014 as it didn’t migrate over] Before you post a genealogy query online, think about how easy you are making it for someone else to help you. Ideal queries provide a summary of what you know. Potential helpers may be less likely to help if they have to post a series of follow up questions to really know what you know and what you don’t. For a list of query writing suggestions, check out this post on Rootdig.
It’s easy to say “yes…I always am aware of my assumptions.” It’s more difficult sometimes to really be aware of what they are. All researchers bring their own background to their genealogical research table. That background effects our assumptions that we make. One way to catch assumptions is to ask yourself, “how is this situation different from others I’ve researched?” Am I “comparing apples to oranges,” “are there things about this ‘new’ area of which I am really unaware?” One challenge I have in this regard is that my upbringing is rural and my ancestors were rural. I grew up in a county where many people were related to each other, many of our parents attended school together, many of our grandparents attended school together. The county had no stoplight […]
Recent Comments