A search for a relative on a “big” genealogy website may search records from a wide variety of sources and instantly pull up an image with the name of interest. Before you assume you’ve hit the genealogy jackpot there are some warnings: The image may not refer to your relative. The image may come up because the name is “close,” the location is “close,” or someone else thought the record was about your ancestor. The name may not really be the same, the location may be too far off, or that other person may be incorrect. If the search parameters were set too loosely, the “match” may make absolutely no sense. Search results are not divinely inspired. The transcription may not be correct. The original may be difficult […]
Whether a question is sent in an email, posted on a message board, submitted as a comment to a blog post, fired off to a Facebook post, or spoken out loud, try and be as clear as possible. Avoid: pronouns (he, she, they, etc.) if the reference is not clear; nameless titles or relationships (doctor, Grandma, Uncle, etc.); abbreviations and other shorthand that someone else may not know; do not self-create abbreviations; Your goal of asking a question is to get an answer. If someone cannot understand your question, they may choose to ask for clarification. Or they may simply bypass your question entirely. Remember that it is the internet and people often move onto the next shiny thing.
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