Fast and Efficient Research – Root Pursuit style! We are introducing the Family Group Sheet Method for Research.
- Be the fastest Genie in the west!
- Have a solid system for researching your ancestors
- Stay focused in your research
For some of the time, researching is just fun and being fast and efficient doesn’t always matter, but there are other times when our research needs to be efficient. For professional genealogists, making the most of their time is critical to increase income. For personal research, sometimes we just want to break down those brick walls and solve those mysteries. This method will help us do the job!
Are you ready to learn?
The main concept of the family group sheet method for research is to use three forms we have created:
You can find these forms right here on the Root Pursuit website, but for now let’s talk about what they look like and, most importantly how we use them!
First, let’s look at the why. We use the Family Group Sheet (FGS) as our checklist for vital information to find. The FGS keeps us focused on the information we need to find. We need to first focus on the husband and wife, getting their dates of birth and their marriage information. Were they married to anyone else and who were their parents and more? These are our goals.
Now you will first decide if you want to use the Research Log. Now, if you are doing personal research, I won’t say that the research log is required, but it is recommended. The research log will help you stay on track with your research if you take long breaks in between researching this group of individuals. There are so many advantages and the biggest is not duplicating your search tactics.
If you aren’t a professional genealogist, you can skip this next paragraph.
Now, if you are a professional genealogist, the Research Log is critical. It is absolutely required. Here’s why: This tool will help you justify your work to your client when you don’t get results. Some ancestors are tricky to find and some others just don’t have documentation. As I have mentioned many times, professional genealogists shouldn’t be trading their time for money. They should be trading their skills for research projects. The Research Log is so important for maintaining credibility and explaining how and where you spent your time. Root Pursuit’s research log is specifically designed as a tool professional genealogists can give to their clients. We have to give high quality results and the Research Log helps us keep track of our sources!
Important Note: Each FGS has its own Research Log.
So now we have a specific group of facts we need to obtain, all laid out in fields/boxes on our FGS. We have the research log to record where we searched and for what people and facts.
Don’t worry – we didn’t forget about the Resident/Census form – that’s coming! But first you need a list of databases, search engines, and websites that you are going to search to fill out your FGS. You may have your favorites, but if you are interested in my list of free sites, click here.
Websites, Search Engines, & Databases
- Ancestry.com (Paid Subscription/Free at Library)
- FamilySearch.org (Free)
- FindaGrave (Free)
- Google Search/Search Engine (Free)
- GoogleBooks Search (Free)
Now pick your top 5 Search Engines and stick to only searching those. Sticking to these search engines/databases will help keep your research efficient and focused. Wait until you have searched all facts on the FGS before you dive into smaller, lesser known databases. This is so important to stay focused!
Let’s talk about the Resident/Census form. Getting the census information for an ancestor is such a crucial part of our research. As we were creating the Family Group Sheet Method, we realized it just wouldn’t be complete without a document listing where the family was living and all the other vital information listed on federal census forms.
The Root Pursuit resident/census form is created to be attached to the family group sheet. At the top, it shows the names of the husband and wife listed on the FGS. The next piece of information is so important, I am going to put it in bold!
The resident and census listings are only for times that are after the marriage of the couple listed in the FGS.
The reason we only list residences for the couple after marriage is because any census that we found for the couple in their youth would be listed on their parents FGS. We will still document this information later on, but it won’t be included on this couple’s FGS. We are getting so good at being efficient!
Organization
When I organize the FGS in either digital or paper form, I keep the FGS on the top, then attach the Resident/Census Form second. After that I attached the Research Log, and finally on the back I attach any copies of primary documentation, newspaper articles, photos, etc. If you have a binder, you simply create a family tree generation chart for a visual and then include each family group in ascending order.
Submit any questions below in the comments or head over to our Contact Us page.
