These tips can jump start your project

The first of the year is a great time to delve into a new project or revive one that's gone stale, and some genealogists, who have been digging into his/her ancestors' past for years and years, might need a word or two of encouragement about now.

We've all been preoccupied the last couple months, what with the first holiday season of the new millennium.

But that's history now, and it's time to move forward and get reacquainted with our ancestors.

Juliana Smith, editor of Ancestry Daily News, confessed in a recent online column that she was in a genealogical rut. She had been operating on automatic and missed her "great, late-night, hand- banging, brick wall-shattering research that makes us stay up half the night, surrounded by research blinders, our noses pressed to a computer screen, buried in the mists of time."

She offered a few suggestions to pull one's self out of genealogical doldrums:

Narrow your sights: Pull out just one or two related lines and focus on them for your search.

Get out: Go to the library, courthouse, archive or cemetery for on- site research "a sure-fire way to rekindle the fire." Review your files, form a detailed game plan and check the availability of resources from your home which might help you find something you previously overlooked.

Chronicle an ancestor's life: Create a biographical profile of your ancestors. Chronicle their lives in a narrative form, using the records and information you have found remembering to footnote where you found your facts. "We can bring (our ancestors) to life, and as we write, we may gain new insight into their lives that can further our research."

Tackle a new resource: If you have exhausted all the familiar records, explore new ones. "The Internet has made it incredibly easy to explore new resources from the comfort of your home." He suggests looking at the 2,700-plus articles in the Ancestors.com Library, with Ancestry Daily News, Ancestry magazine, Genealogical Computing and others. There's no fee to browse the files at ancestry.com/library/ archive.asp

Read a book: "Reading about the places where and times when your ancestors lived is a great way to regain your passion for the past." Read a local history or skim a historical chronology of the times in which your ancestor lived, with the names and dates of your ancestors nearby for easy reference.

Reorganize, reformat and review: Sometimes filing, re-filing or reorganizing what you've collected can be a very enlightening experience. "What may seem a very mundane or boring task that is much overdue can bring to light treasures that have been buried or that take on a new significance in the light of newer discoveries."

Get a new toy: Treat yourself to a new genealogical software program, a reference book, a subscription to your favorite Web site or a new CD. It "might be just the ticket to spur another burst of genealogical energy."

Make contact: Get in touch with family members and share what you've found. You might encourage them to do a little digging of their own, and share what they find. Interview or re-interview older family members, prodding their memories with new information.

If you notice the eyes of your family glazing over as you present your theories about Great-Great-Grandma Betty's origin, give them a break and talk to your pets or yourself. "My pets are a wonderful support system and sounding board," Smith wrote. "My cats nod sagely as I present my theories or explore new possibilities, and my golden retriever will always wag her tail as I share my newest family tree discoveries with her."

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.