Step 3: People

So, you've created a tree and have some good resources in order to expand your tree. That's it. That's all you need...Not Quite.

This is the last step before I start elaborating on search methods and tools. I was initially thinking of calling this step Forums, but decided that the true idea behind it is the people that you meet. People are wonderful resources for information. When you did (or just read about) the Home Work on Step 1 you realized the potential in uses other people as a resource. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have elders with memories and stories. Some of you will have limited family members whom you could use as resources. Well, here is how you make up for or add onto that: find other online. In a moment I will talk to you about specific Forum's and methods that have helped me to connect to others, but for now I'll start with a more generalized method.

Pick a name from your tree. It could be a full name, or just a surname. Type this name into:

Google Now you will be given either a very few or lots of, not always helpful, sites that have information of people with that name. After sifting through many sites that don't help you might find one that works for you. A way to simplify that is to type in additional information with the name that you are searching for. I tried typing the name of one of my 2nd ggm (see Step 2 for abbreviation assistance) Anna McKenna into Google. It just so happens that there are many, many Anna McKenna's. When I entered her birth year after her name in the search bar (Anna McKenna, b. 1861) I got results that fit more with what I wanted. However, as with my case, the results might not be to great. How, you might ask, does this connect to people? If you find a website that has information that is compatible with you tree,you should explore the website for information about the person who posted it and do your best to contact them. If and when you contact someone for the first time DON'T give them too much personal information. Start with a brief explanation of how you found there e-mail address and why you are contacting them. For example. "I found your website through Google and I was wondering if I could have some more information on John Smith." Be polite. No one will want to answer back to a rude email. Ask for their sources, so that you could check them yourself, if they are available,or cite them on your tree.

Alright, so that doesn't always yield good results, but I wanted to include it for those of you who are reluctant to put your contact information online (you know who you are). Another method that doesn't involve put contact info online is to search through Rootsweb's World Connect Project. If you type in some search criteria, such as a person's name, birth date, and/or death date you may find information on someone else's tree. Same as above send them a friendly and inquisitive e-mail.

Now to Forums.

This method of contacting others is far more likely to give you results. When you join most forums you will need to include an email address when creating an account. From my experience the benefits of using a forum out weigh the occasional bit of junk mail that sites will send you.

Some sites that have forums:

Rootsweb's forum is broken down by location rather than by surname which can be both useful and problematic at times.

Genealogy.com Genforum lets you search for information via surnames, locations, topics, and with a search feature that will look through all of them for relevant information.

Ancestry.com Message Boards uses a similar style to Genealogy.com's, but in my experience it gives quicker results to posted queries. This is mostly likely due the the traffic on the site. There are paying Ancestry members and free account ancestry members as well as those who get sent to the site by many of their online ads.

There are others, but these are the top three that are not based around a specific geography, nationality, or surname. I use all three of them, but you can start with one at a time.

If your up for it, sign up for at least one Forum.

Pre-Homework:

As of now One Branch at a Time does not have it's own forum, but I would love to make it possible for readers to use each other as a resource.

HomeWork:

Your homework is to type out a list of Surnames that you have information on and/or would like more information on into the comments section of this post. If your lucky you will find someone who can help you.