Ancestry Magazine

In our research log, we use our own private shorthand for different types of sources. However, we also keep a record of all the information about a source that you’ll need to cite it properly when you share the information with others.

It often seems like we get lost in the thickest part of the research “forest.” But one tool, a good research log, can help to guide us through the dense trees. This useful, yet often underutilized, tool provides a way to keep track of where we have been and, more importantly, to document what we have found. Once we have successfully used the research log to guide us through the forest, it will also provide a “trail” to help others return to that same source of information.

Unfortunately, when we began our own research, we did not keep a good research log. We are now in the process of reviewing our data, and we often find that we have no clue where we found the information originally. Without documentation, the information is suspect at best and totally worthless to anyone else.

In this article, we want to focus on the most important elements of a good research log and how this information relates to your project. The first element is the most obvious. Quite simply, researchers should keep a research log. This log should be the first piece of paper out of the briefcase or bag when they are setting up at the library, and it should remain at the top of the pile for the duration of the research session.

Many family historians have found that a research log can be very helpful in planning research trips. As you preview the online category for the library or repository you will be visiting, your research log can help you prevent duplicating previous efforts. You can also use your log to outline your “game plan.” As you find items in the library’s catalog, use the forms to keep track of sources you want to search. Then, when you are on location, you will have your “map” handy, complete with call and microfilm numbers. As you go down the list in your log, just enter the date and results of your search.

By the way, don’t forget to keep a research log for your online research at home as well. When you’re surfing around from site to site, it’s easy to get carried away and neglect to keep a research log. But chances are that when you go t o the computer later, you’ll end up visiting the same places—again and again. This can be good strategy, since many websites are always adding new information. But if you don’t take the time to keep track of what sites you’ve researched, what you have researched those sites for, and what those sites contain, you can waste a lot of time and effort that could be spent on more profitable searches.

While you could write down your online searches on paper, you may find it easier to keep a separate online research log. Keep your document open while doing searches and simply copy and paste the URL into the new document, along with the date and your findings (or lack of findings). The next time you want to start surfing the Web in search of any new ancestors, open your document and compare the sites you’ve already visited, adding the new URLs to those from your previous searches. The website may provide a reference for the information posted; if so, write down the information carefully, so you can verify it against the original at your earliest convenience.

Second, it’s helpful to keep a separate log for each individual or family being researched, as well as each location or time period, if the information is more general. Researchers should make a bibliographic notation in the research log of all the materials examined while doing research. (Note: Your family history will require only the sources used to prove your data, but the research log should include every source you consult so you won’t waste time with resources that have already proven unhelpful.)

This notation should include the date of the research, where the research took place (e.g., the name of the library), and all the identifying information on the source. As a rule of thumb, the following sequence of information should be followed: 1) author(s), 2) title, 3) volume number, 4) editor(s), 5) edition, 6) volume number if in a series, 7) place of publication, publishing company, 9) date published, and 10) call nu mber or other information detailing the location of the particular source.

When sources other than books are consulted, such as a transcript of an interview, a letter, a primary source document, or a website, you will need to provide as much of this identifying information as possible (e.g., name of source, date, and location).

A good genealogy software program is the best way to keep track of your sources. These programs allow you to enter the bibliographic information just once in something usually referred to as a source library.

In our research log, we use our own private shorthand for different types of sources, especially frequently used ones, and you may want to do the same. However, it’s also necessary to keep a record of all the information about a source that you’ll need to cite it properly when you share the information with others.

Copying the title and copyright pages is often the most convenient way to do this. You’ll find guidance and examples on proper citation forms in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual (Ancestry, 2000) by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and in Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian (GPC, 1997).

Remember that the content in a research log is for personal use only. Proper citation should be provided elsewhere in your records and should reflect the guidelines used by careful family historians. Notes, whether embedded in the text, at the foot of the page, or the end of an article, require enough information that others can readily find and check the source for themselves. Bibliographies contain generally the same information, but in a slightly different style, as discussed in the above-mentioned references.

Birth Certificate
Birth Certificate for James Howard Willard, 1 October 1947, Certificate #14870, filed at time of birth with the Office of the City Clerk, Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine. Certified copy in the possessio n of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Marriage License
Marriage License (No. 7). Charles M. Willard to Mary Russ, issued 14 August 1833, by the Town Clerk in Wilton, Franklin, Maine. Certified copy in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Death Certificate
Death Certificate for George Hamel, 22 August 1935, Certificate # 15349, on file at the Office of the City Clerk, Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine. Certified copy in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Family Bible
Family Bible (No. 1) of Mary Russ Willard, in the possession of Ella Morse Willard, Portland, Cumberland, Maine (no publication information available), hand copied by James H. Willard on July 23, 1979.

Census Data
U.S. Census of 1930, Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine, ed. 20, sheet no. 13A, roll T626_827, family 289, household of Joseph Cloutier.

Secondary Sources
Published Family History
Descendants of Henry-2 Willard of Still River, Massachusetts (The Willard Family Association of America, Inc., 1989), Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 89-50888), in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Genealogical Dictionary
Tanguay, Cyprien, Genealogical Dictionary of Canadian Families, 7 volumes (Montreal, 1877). Reprint in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Personal Letter
Proper, D. R. (Letter #3), Letter to Mr. & Mrs. James H. Willard, 18 August 1977. The original handwritten letter is in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Newspaper Obituary
Obituary (#17) for Shirley Howard Willard, Auburn, Maine, The Lewiston Daily Sun/Journal, 16 February 1994, p. 2, col. 4. Photocopy in the possession of James H. and Theresa A. Willard.

Personal Interview
Personal Interview (#1) with Gertrude Samson by James H. and Theresa A. Willard, 8 July 1978, at a family reunion in Portland, Maine. Notes taken by Theresa A. Willard.

These examples represent some of the more common sources of genealogical data. There are numerous others that you will consult as well. The important point is to record as much identifying information as possible on the source being consulted.

Genealogy is a hobby of managing information—lots of information! Without effective organizational techniques, it is easy to feel hopelessly lost in the forest of records and research. Accurate documentation is the genealogist’s path through the forest. And by documenting your data, even if you don’t want to find your way out of the research forest yet, at least someone else can follow your trail.

Terry and Jim Willard hosted the ten-part PBS Ancestors series. They have researched their family history fifteen generations back on both sides.