Genealogy takes time!

 

When I started researching my family history decades ago (in the 1990s), I never dreamed that it would take so long and that I would still look at a giant project 30 years later, and that, still mainly only on one side of the family. Genealogy is a marathon, not a sprint, and just researching the timeline of one ancestor's life can take many months. This is not only because finding the records to document everything in their timeline takes time (even though Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org will present you with possibly documents easily), but evaluating and comparing documents like census records takes time, and then you find more clues in those records, so you track down other leads and clues. Keeping it all organized is key, and this includes making a research plan, keeping a research log, taking good notes, reviewing frequently, analyzing and writing up conclusions that then lead to more questions. I've been researching one family line for 8 years, and still feel like I have much work to do in building out that part of the tree. 

I came across this document in family papers that I ended up with, and it seems like a mystery to me. Why did my great-grandfather's sister, living in New Brunswick, Canada, file with the Canadian government for proof of her brother's age, a few months after he died? And he died in the US, having emigrated from Canada in the 1890s, and having been awarded US citizenship in 1920. Another family mystery to solve! This could tack on months to my project of building out this particular branch and timeline... here goes! 

If you find yourself in need of a consultation or coaching session about doing your own genealogy project, please let me know. I'd be happy to consider that. Some people want to do their own family history research but don't always know where to begin. Message me to get started and see what's possible!