got by without them. Start by creating just one for a stubborn ancestor and then make some for that ancestor’s relations.
Once your timeline(s) is in place ask yourself these 10 questions:
- What facts am I missing?
- What details (dates, locations etc) are missing from specific facts?
- Are any facts missing sources, or are the sources week? Can I add new records?
- Are there inconsistencies?
- Is there more information on the sources I do have than I have recorded in my tree? Should I add them?
- Are there big gaps in my ancestor’s life? What records might fill them?
- Were there big external events that influenced his/her life that may have produced records?
- How do the timelines of his/her relations fit in?
- Did my ancestor always live in the same location? If not, where did they move to? Can I create a date-based map of their travels to help me find new records?
- What can I learn about the locations in each event?
You might be surprised how quickly your brick walls start crumbling.
For even more help with timelines for genealogy take the online Genealogy Research Course from Family History Daily. It includes in-depth help for using timelines to solve family mysteries.
As promised, here are some links that will help you get started on your ancestor’s timeline:
- Why You Should Stop Your Research and Reexamine Every Single Genealogy Record You Have
- Are You Making the Direct-Line Mistake in Your Family Tree?
Amanda Sullivan is a 2009 graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. She has spent years doing family research for her own enjoyment and compiling family histories as gifts for her nieces, nephews, and her two beautiful daughters.
6 thoughts on “This Straightforward Technique Will Help You Uncover Missed Facts About Your Ancestors”
We get a lot of time line information from Family Tree Magazine, very helpful.