02/25/2025
Family History Tip #3 - Keep good notes!
As I was going through some old photos and clippings that my aunt had kept from long ago, I found a piece of paper with some names of older relatives written on it. Scribbled off to the side was the word "Iwje", which would have meant little to me years earlier. But when I stumbled upon it, I knew it referred to the town from where those ancestors came from.
It was a nice corroboration of what I had previously discovered on my own, and it was a sentimental reminder that my aunt had shared a mutual interest with tracing our family history.
But it was also a reminder that if she had kept more detailed notes about what she knew or discovered, I might have been saved some labor figuring it out independently. (Don't get me wrong, the exercise was useful unto itself.)
My point is, keeping good, detailed notes of your research is kinda important - unless you enjoy retracing previous work, either to pick up a detail that (earlier) seemed insignificant, or because you've forgotten that you already looked at that film or collection.
Notes help you keep track of the work you've done; they also provide the path to retrieve that work and those documents if you accidentally lose anything. Equally important, notes can help you keep organized with your search strategy and focused on obtainable goals.
For now, I have no good advice for "how" to keep good notes, except they should work for you... and possibly some future relative that may someday want to pick up your research
Good journey, don't forget the travelogue!
