Genealogy Pointers

Are you at a brick wall in your genealogy research? Did you know that two head are better than one! Finding researchers that are working on the same branch or even the same surname can increase answers to question and fill in gaps.

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States today, so there is bound to be someone out there who is researching the same family line as you.

How to find that person, is the question and here is a method to try.

Post an Inquiry.
What is an inquiry, it’s a message that lets other people know that you are researching your family line and which one. Message boards are an excellent place to post your inquiry because they reach a wide audience all around the world. Online services like rootsweb and genform are genealogy forums that you can post these types of messages.

Plus posting your own inquiry, you are able to check for inquiries that might relate to your family research that was posted by other people.

So how do you post messages that will get you result?
First thing you have to understand that most message boards are public, so when you do post a message on the Internet it will be out there for anyone and everyone to read. You have no idea who is going to read your message or who might quote portions of it to share with other people. You want to make sure that your message you want to post only contains information that you are ready to share with everyone.

You also need to know that once you submit your message you won’t be able to go back and change it; they are permanent. So double check for any typos and that it’s exactly what you want to say.

Message boards guidelines
Web site usually has rules and regulations that you have to follow. They are usually about the frequency and content of messages that they will allow on their boards. An individual monitors some message boards and some are not. If you look for the words “policies,” “user agreements,” or “terms of use,” these will out line the rules for you.

The key is to post your message in one or two places that is the most appropriate and will receive the best response. Don’t leave the same message in every available message board or you can get kicked of, this is irritating to some people and they will report you. Try to stick with the right topic of the message board.

There are several genealogical message boards that people go to. The most used is rootsweb.com and genforum.com. Visit these sites and get a feel for how they are run before you post your message. Here are something’s that you can do to help ensure that your message receives positive responses.

The more information you can give the less confused people get when they read your message. Make your message rich in details this will attract more responses. I have seen messages that just state “looking for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” This doesn’t tell anyone anything. Someone will probably take the time and email you back to ask you for more details but most people will just delete the message. So the greater the details you provide the greater chance of linking up with someone that is seeking the same individual. Some common thing to include in your message is:

Full name, including any middle name or initials you know of.
Dates: Birth, Marriage, and Death.
Places where the events occurred.
Residence and migration from county to county, town to town, state to state.
Names of their siblings if you know, names of their children and their parents.

Good Grammar
Make sure you have good grammar, spelling and punctuation, this is very important. If you don’t write well no one will respond to your post. Good grammar is like an invitation to others. Your message needs to be easily understood with few errors; this makes it easier for other researchers researching the same topic to comprehend your message. So make sure you proofread your message before you click that “Submit” button.

There is definitely one good reason you want your message posted with no typos; that is the search engine. You want the search engine to pick up your message and display it right when someone else is searching for the same family you are.

Oh, and don’t forget to double-check your email address. You want that researcher to be able to contact you!