My MOST Controversial Genealogy Advice!

There is some often-repeated advice about staying focused when researching your family tree. I've reconsidered it.

#genealogy #familyhistory #ancestry

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[KimberlyGreen]

Another benefit of rabbit holes ... gaining broader perspectives on society, history, etc. Even if nothing ultimately relates to your own research, you've broadened your understanding of the world.

[stezton]

Rabbit holes are where I live. I love connecting dots even if people aren't close to my family.

[julie_holmansky]

I've always ignored the "stay focused" advice because I find it limiting. Following the rabbit holes is the best part about genealogy research, in my opinion. I end up learning things I might otherwise not know, and my family history is all the richer for it.

[lindasusandelozier]

That's exactly how I have been doing research for over 40 years now and I LOVE IT! I have learned so much about so many things, besides who my ancestors are. There are times I need to really focus on just one question, but personally, I love those rabbit holes and all they can teach me. Thanks for a great message. I feel better about myself now hahaha

[vickiemccubbin]

Thank you for helping me remove my guilt over the rabbit holes! I love researching - but sometimes I get caught up in the "I should haves" -- You made my day!

[sharmanszkody]

Did I enjoy myself. Yes! A state senator has my husband's family and my family listed in his on line family tree. I contacted him and he responded. That was a really fun experience.

[melissafleming]

Rabbit holes have slowed down discoveries on one branch, but helps to build other branches. I love them!

[esm]

My favorite rabbit hole is finding a more famous relative of my ancestor to research. I have done that so many times. But they usually do have a lot of records that can help me understand the times and places.

[chrismoule]

I have a set series of rules about when I must expand my research. Basically, I research the immediate history of every partner. Which opens up webs of divorces and re-marriages. I also research the downward history of every child. And if by doing both of these I find more than one connection with another family, then I research that family until I have identified the top of the pyramid of connections - the common ancestors of the connections - and then I go down again to the bottom of that family, taking in every member of that family on the way. So I inevitably head down rabbit holes. Lots of them.

I have lost count of the number of times that such rabbit holes have produced that nugget of info that explains a lot about my closer family: examples would be a missing child, or a female member of my family living with a branch of the other family that provides me with a married name.

Obviously, the number of "useless" rabbit holes far, far exceeds the number of useful ones. But, then, I enjoy it. So there you go.

[thenglar]

My biggest "rabbit holes" was following my distant cousins in-laws and their ancestors. This could happen quite easily in Ancestry etc., if you don't monitor very closely the person you are researching. But in the end - especially in smaller communities in the Midwest - I got a lot of information about life and the origin of families. Often those settlers came from the same small village in Germany and were related before. So following my cousins and the ancestors of their partners led to situation, where those often neglected families cross my familytree multiple times with different cousins and generations. Like vines wound around my family tree. Working generations forward and backwards I often find new unexpected cousins and have even the chance to verify relationships a second time. In short: In the end - especially in small towns - I can't even say, if I am related to only one part of a couple or to both before doing that research.

[ExestentialCrisis]

My recent rabbit hole was a blessing in disguise. My uncle (who died many years before I was born) married a woman who had children from a previous marriage. They never had any children together. But I decided to trace her anyway, despite the "no blood" connection. And wow, did she turn out to be interesting! But what ultimately made this a great use of my time is that, by coincidence, I spoke with my brother a few days later. I had not spoken to him in at least 20 years, probably closer to 30. He's quite a bit older than me and was married when I was in diapers, so we've never been close. By chance I mentioned the research on this aunt and was amazed to find out that my brother knew her quite well. He recalled playing with her children. And could tell me about them as adults (who they married, where they worked, etc). But he never knew all the things that I found out about her life before she married my uncle. In short, that one conversation about my rabbit hole research has opened up a whole new relationship with my brother, who now calls me 2-3 times a week. ❤

[LeeRalph]

I always use rabbit holes, I have learned some of my best info this way.

[BobTheSchipperke]

I'm good with rabbit holes. Sometimes I get focused for sure, but otherwise I want to ENJOY myself. It's my own heaven. I do JUST FINE. I love my FAN research, etc.

[barbarahawkins]

Amy, I NEED MORE ADVICE. After you read what I have found out please !! I had been searching for my 4th great grandma's name. She has always been known as Mrs. Blalock. We had learned that Mrs Blalock born 1795 TN ( according to the 1860 census anyway) Well, yes, she was married to William Blalock. Via a DEED we finally learned her first name Katherine. That was amazing. I have done every single thing in the world from 469 pages of marriage records in TN and the 288 pages in KY where Katherine and William lived. Yes, they were in the 1820 census of Warren County, KY with children already.
I have checked many other records everywhere. No Marriage record to e found. Checked her children's marriage, probate etc nothing found ! No maiden name at all ! William, in 1806 was bound to a Harris till 21. That was found by an Historical Soc record. Honestly, I am out of options unless you may have other suggestions. I am 71, :(

[motherofcatsnz]

I always research sibling's branches as they are the ones which may have got the family bible. I also the research the families of the wive that married in. All of these allow you to make contact with other who may have information.

[JoyousGenealogist]

I love this. It’s exactly how I’ve always researched.
I don’t set specific goals I just go with prayer and how I feel and let my ancestors lead me to them.
It may sound weird but it’s really not. They’re our angels up there guiding us in this work.
I usually end up back to the person I started with at some point and end up finding the information that wasn’t there to begin with. ❤ thanks for the tip.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way of doing genealogy . I believe you do what works for you and how our own brain works!

[grantfahlman]

Hmmm, thank goodness for this feedback. I think I am surrounded by rabbits (and the holes they leave) and keep thinking how it might be "wasting my time". At the same time, I continue to learn and enjoy it. An example being referring to videos like this for information. Another is just recently volunteering as a photographer for Findagrave requests. Had I not investigated that rabbit hole, via Youtube, I wouldn't have even known about it! I am looking forward to getting outside and taking my love of genealogy down another road (in local cemeteries). ☀

[pbcanal]

I do a community family tree and go down rabbit holes all the time. I often flip through the old papers, find a name, and see if I can find a connection to the larger tree. I have since started doing this broad type searching on my own family tree. Folks lived in communities back then, and often people moved between families for shelter or work. It is a great way to find lost relatives.

[lisaannepeacock]

Oh I do this all the time!!
I usually do my research on both ancestry and family search at the same time. So I find my self looking at former spouses, in-laws, or step children. But this really helps me get the whole picture of who I am researching. It’s also helped me fill in the blanks to missing information I have on my relatives.

[katev]

Yay! 🎉🎉🎉

I love rabbit holes! Curiosity is my no. 1 personality trait. Videos I've been watching on how to avoid them made me kinda sad. To me, they're such fun and I learn so much! Not just about my family and their dear ones and events impacting their lives, but also new ways to find stuff. New things I clicked on by mistake that led to even more stuff! If I needed to focus because I was being paid to get a job done, I would not likely afford myself these excursions, so that advice is clearly valuable. For me, for now, I'm happy to hippity hop right down that rabbit hole! 🐰