If only I'd known ....

Twelve top tips from Eileen Amore on what she wishes she'd been aware of before embarking on her family history research

I wish ...

1. ... I'd realised the importance of keeping careful and legible family history records.  Finding a pencilled note 'Robert Frost 1820' in an old notebook two years later recalls neither place nor event.
2. ... I'd realised sooner that genealogy involves visiting a record office or The National Archives and 'putting flesh on bones' is vital.  Finding a whole set of relatives in Hampshire on the International Genealogical Index (www.familysearch.org) was an amazing find but, in hindsight, I should have checked parish records.  This would have saved many wasted months researching the wrong line.
3. ... I'd not been too proud to ask for help at record offices.  Misrofilm readers are not the easiest of equipment to use.  In retrospect, it would have been quicker to ask a member of staff for assistance.  That would have saved me the embarrassment of crawling under a table to retrieve the spool of film.  I have always found the staff in record offices extremely helpful and friendly. 
4. ... somebody had stressed the importance of finding a cafe in the vicinity of the record office.  This is essential because after a long journey threw's nothing better than a substantial breakfast and a restoring cup of tea.  As a bonus you might bump into other genealogists.  I mean this literally, as family history researchers, so not, as a rule, look where they are going!
5. ... someone had told me not to take family folklore literally.  I was told that one of my ancestors was called Marie Guiton.  It seems that she was the result of an affair somehow connected with the court of France.  It is told that when Princess Eugenie and her family fled to England, they were exiled in Surrey and Marie came with them.  It seems that my gg-grandparents raised Marie and paid for her schooling.  Little Marie haunts my dreams but I don't suppose I'll ever discover the truth.
6. ... I'd known about the usefulness of the 1881 Census much earlier than I did.  This was the first census to be indexed by surname.  It was also the fifth census, so the enumerators had got to grips with this arduous task.  They had perfected the art of saying: 'Line up and be counted, you miserable lot', which is probably why it's often the most reliable census.
7. ... someone had told me that genealogy can be all-consuming and addictive.  On my first visit to a major record office I sat next to a wizened old man.  He was dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief and sniffing.  I was concerned and whispered, 'Are you alright?'.  he murmured, 'I've lost Sarah.'  Trying to reassure him, I said I would try and find her. 'Where did you last see her?;, I asked.  @Eighteen-fifty-one,' he replied.  'She was working in a manor house in Cornwall.  I think the lord of the manor put her in the family way.'  I realised, then, that genealogy should, possibly, carry a 'Health & Safety' warning.
8. ... I'd known that locating an ancestor can often be difficult.  It still amazes me that people were born, married and died and yet it is sometimes almost impossible to find any evidence of their existence.  It is important to bear in mind that in Victorian times most people rented property and it was quite easy for our ancestors to move from area to area.  Also, try and think laterally when searching for a missing relative.  For example, the surname might have been transcribed literally.  Close your eyes and imagine a Victorian speaking in dialect and shouting 'Ledbetter' at a deaf enumerator.  So try different permutations, such as Ladbutter, Lidbooter or even Ludbetter.
9. ... that someone had told me that hands on a record office clock appear to go round at twice the speed of a normal clock.  Another anomaly is that it is often quite common to find vital information five minutes before the office closes.  The practical solution is to conduct as much research as possible before the middle of the afternoon. Then use the last half hour for collating any material you've collected.  Even write a short note of any information you wish to research on your next visit.
10. ... I hadn't said that genealogy sounded boring when I was persuaded to research my family history.  If only I'd known about the hours of enjoyment that genealogy provides.  The thrill of being a private detective and totally in charge of the case.  Due to my tenacious ferreting, I've discovered details of two great-uncles that I didn't know existed.   My grandfather often spoke of his two brothers but due to his fragmented childhood, he knew nothing about them.  On his death we found a box of birth certificates and decided to find out more.  After many months of research, I found members of his family still living in the same small town.  They were delighted to have relatives from the 'Old Country' and my life has been enriched by knowing these people.
11. ... I'd realised sooner that genealogy is not just about collecting ancestors. Details of occupations and areas where ancestors lived not only puts flesh on bones but helps to build a composite picture.  Ancestors then become real, and not merely names on a census or parish register.
12. ... most of all, that I had recognised the fact that ancestors are firmly rooted in the past and are unlikely to go anywhere.  Therefore, it doesn't matter if they are not collected all in one fell swoop: if only!

Member of 'The Smales' on Antelope, about 1950.

(from an article in Practical Family History magazine)

Ten golden rules of genealogy

1. Always work backward from the known (yourself) to the unknown (forebears).
2. Never believe everything on a birth, death or marriage certificate.
3. Never completely trust the spelling of surnames, place names etc.
4. Always check surname variants when researching (use soundex etc).
5. Always have at least two separate sources of proof for each event.
6. Everything is speculation until verified by certificates etc.
7. Always photocopy original documents and keep originals safe and a shoebox for doubtful connections.
8. If a document exists read it and store information in your shoebox until it's verified.
9. Join a society or group or use websites such as Ancestry UK or Genes Reunited to help you.
10. Share your information with others, there could be a link.