Genealogy Pointers

Email is a very important tool for genealogy research. It’s a quick and easy way for researchers to converse from all over the world. Very often it’s not possible for relatives to interview each other face to face. Or you have found an individual that could be a potential cousin or a researcher that is researching the same surname but lives on the opposite side of the world. This person may or may not have the information you are seeking and is also someone you have never met before; you can use email to establish a friendly and, hopeful long lasting connection.

I have listed 5 basic email tips to consider following when you don’t know the individual you want to contact. These basic email tips can also be used for other topics other than genealogy.

1. Simple is the key
When you are ready to email an individual that you don’t know, the rule of thumb is to keep it simple. You should tell this individual who you are and how you received their name and email address. Explain how you are related to the family you are contacting them about. Tell the individual why you are interested in the family history.

Don’t bombard the recipient with questions or your family tree in this first initial email.
Consider this email your introduction as if you were standing right in front of him or her and shaking their hand.

2. The Subject line has to catch their eye!
Today people are overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive. People often scan the subject lines for any important emails and the rest are just left unopened and sent to the delete file. This has become a necessity because of Spam and viruses.

Subject lines that just say “Hi” usually are not opened.

When I’m emailing someone that is new to me, I always include the surname or the full name if possible, of the specific ancestor that I’m writing about in the subject line. Also don’t forget to put the word genealogy. For example, a subject line like, “Mills Genealogy” is apt to receive attention than just “Hi.”

3. Language Barrier
What do you do if the recipient doesn’t speak or read your language? Then you need to see if you can find someone that does. If this fails, there are many sites on the Internet that can help you. There are many that you can type in your text and have it translated to the language you need or want.

Another tip on language translation – When I’m searching for my French ancestors, I use Google. You don’t have to do anything special, just search as usual. When there is a site that has non-English results there is a “translate this link” that will take you to the English version.

4. Be Conservative
Once you have communicated with this new individual, still, take it slow. The individual may have a few reservations about sharing their information. Ask them for just a few helpful basic facts and reassure them of your discretion. If they refuse to share information, don’t press them. Try by showing them some of your basic facts on the family. By doing this slowly, over time the recipient will come to see that you are honest and sincere about your research. Remember though, some people just won’t share anything, just move on with your own personal research.

5. Remember to “Thank” them
When people take time out of their day to corresponded with you and share there hard earned work, the least you can do is email them back with a “Thank you.” It can be easy to get caught-up with new discoveries and just leave the email hanging in your inbox. Remember when you sent your information to someone and you wondered why you hadn’t heard back from them; take the time to thank the person and that thank you will go a long way if you ever have to contact the person again. Also it is nice to keep them informed on your progress of your research with any new information.

If you can try to make these basic 5 tips a routine, then you will have cherished family and friends forever.