{"id":209,"date":"2024-12-08T04:38:17","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/?p=209"},"modified":"2024-12-08T04:38:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:38:17","slug":"10-ways-to-improve-your-family-tree-in-10-minutes-or-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/10-ways-to-improve-your-family-tree-in-10-minutes-or-less\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Improve Your Family Tree in 10 Minutes or Less"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"10<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n

10 Ways to Improve Your Family Tree in 10 Minutes or Less<\/h1>\n

Last Updated November 13, 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Unlike most projects, you\u2019re never truly \u201cdone\u201d with genealogy. Tracing your family\u2019s history can easily become a lifelong pursuit. Locating relevant records, uncovering family stories and overcoming brick walls can take years, or even decades. <\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, you may wonder what you can possibly accomplish in a mere ten minutes. In reality, though, this short amount of time can be more than enough to make real improvements to your family tree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10 Ways to Improve Your Family Tree in 10 Minutes or Less<\/h2>\n

1. Read an article (or two)\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re reading this article, you\u2019ve probably already realized there\u2019s always something new to learn about genealogy. It\u2019s inevitable that new technology will emerge, recommended research techniques will evolve, or a previously-offline set of records will become available online. In 10 minutes, you could read at least one article here on Family History Daily, or a genealogical newsletter, and learn something new that will directly impact your research. (Hint: Sign up for our newsletter so the newest additions will be waiting in your mailbox when your next 10 minutes of free time arrives!)<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Back up your digital tree<\/span><\/h2>\n

Technology is amazing, but it\u2019s not infallible. At any time, your laptop or desktop could become irreparably corrupted or simply shut down forever, taking your family tree software \u2014 and your tree \u2014 with it. If your main tree resides in a subscription-based online program, you may lose access to some of your work if you forget to renew. Each of these scenarios occurs every day. But if you have some time to spare you can keep this from happening by simply backing up your research to the cloud. (Our <\/span>four-step guide to backing up and securely storing your work <\/span>takes less than 10 minutes to read, by the way!)<\/span><\/p>\n

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MyHeritage is offering 2 free weeks of access to their extensive collection of 20 billion historical records, as well as their matching technology that instantly connects you with new information about your ancestors<\/b>. Sign up using the link below to find out what you can uncover about your family. Discover New Genealogy Records Instantly<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Cite your sources<\/span><\/h2>\n

Creating source citations isn\u2019t the most enjoyable part of family tree research, but it\u2019s perhaps the most important. A fact isn\u2019t a \u201cfact\u201d at all if you haven\u2019t shown where the information came from. When you take a minute (or 10)\u00a0 to add source documentation to an ancestor\u2019s profile, you\u2019re adding immense value to your tree and credibility to your research. Most online programs will automatically cite the sources you add from online records \u2013 and adding documentation about the information you\u2019ve gathered from offline sources (like interviews with family members or records from physical repositories) doesn\u2019t have to be daunting. <\/span>This article from genealogist Bridget Sunderlin<\/span> makes it easy!<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Run an error scan<\/span><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s face it \u2014 everyone makes mistakes. When it comes to genealogy, even the most experienced researcher will get caught up in the excitement of uncovering new information and hit the wrong key or forget to complete an entry. In other words, any family tree can contain errors. That\u2019s why the error scan tools available in family tree software are invaluable to keeping your tree complete, accurate, and reliable. <\/span><\/p>\n

An error scan quickly reviews the data in your tree, picking up obvious \u2014 and not so obvious \u2014 issues like a mother supposedly giving birth at age 10, a child born four months after his sister, or a person born in 1822 but not yet marked as deceased. Each program differs in the exact types of errors it uncovers, but every error you resolve greatly improves your tree, and a scan takes far less than 10 minutes to complete. You can <\/span>learn more about running an error scan here<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Update your research log<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some of these 10-minute-or-less activities \u2014 like reviewing source citations and performing error scans \u2014 can also bring to light new avenues to pursue in your research. When you find a hole in your research that needs to be filled or a fact you need to cite, add those to-do\u2019s to your research log. A research log is an essential genealogical tool that helps you keep your research goals and results organized and helps you avoid duplicating your work. Updating your research log with new items takes less than 10 minutes but can save you hours of valuable research time in the future. You can find a research log, as well as instructions on how to use it, as part of our Family History Workbook here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Delete or merge duplicates<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve ever explored other people\u2019s online family trees, you\u2019ve probably seen something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Duplicate<\/picture>

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Another easy way to identify these is to scroll through the alphabetical list of all of the individuals in your online tree and look for obvious duplications (<\/span>here\u2019s how to do that on Ancestry<\/span>). I actually found the one below on the second page of my alphabetical listing:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Duplicate

It usually takes less than 10 minutes to identify these folks, verify that they are indeed the same person, and merge them into one individual.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Search a different database<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sometimes we family historians get so entrenched in our favorite database that we forget about all of the other resources. The next time you have 10 minutes to spare, consider checking out a new website, whether it\u2019s one of the big ones like Ancestry, Family Search, or MyHeritage, or maybe a USGenWeb site for a county you\u2019ve been looking into recently. We\u2019re constantly updating <\/span>our list of Free Genealogy Sites and Resources<\/span> with new outlets and types of records you may have never thought about. Fair warning, though: You may want to set a timer for yourself to stop when 10 minutes are up, because you\u2019re likely to discover more interesting things than you bargained for!<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Reach out to your cousins<\/span><\/h2>\n

With so much of our attention devoted to researching our long-deceased ancestors, it\u2019s easy to forget about the actual living humans in our family trees. Not everyone in your extended family will be interested in doing family history research, but they might be willing to send you family photos, scans of family bibles, or share family stories. However, you\u2019ll never know until you ask. Consider taking a few minutes to reach out to your cousins on Facebook, through email, or even sending a note via snail mail to let them know you\u2019re working on the family tree. You never know who might be holding onto a genealogical treasure!<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Rename your digital files<\/span><\/h2>\n

OK, so this 10-minute activity isn\u2019t as much fun as some of the others, but it\u2019s something that you\u2019ll be so glad you did the next time you\u2019re searching your computer for that digital image of Great Aunt Gertie, or the scans you made while visiting the archive two counties over. Assigning sensible labels to your digital files isn\u2019t difficult, and it\u2019s a vital element to any genealogical organization system. <\/span><\/p>\n

We take a deeper dive into filename schemes and how to rename your digital files in our organization course or genealogy \u2013\u00a0but a consistent format that includes the name of the subject, applicable dates, and a brief description (image or type of document) is ideal. In 10 minutes you can transform this nonsensical list of images:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Random<\/picture>

\u2026 into this logical list of resources:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Renamed<\/picture>

Honestly, updating those particular filenames took less than five minutes, but you get my drift!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Re-read an old document<\/span><\/h2>\n

The longer you\u2019ve been researching your family\u2019s history, the more records and documents you\u2019ve probably added to your collection \u2026 and then promptly forgotten. The more we work in genealogy, the more we learn, so it\u2019s always a great idea to go back to the records that have been in your collection the longest and review them with fresh eyes and a more critical and educated perspective. <\/span><\/p>\n

I recently unearthed paper copies of my third-great-grandfather\u2019s probate record from 1850. When I made those copies at the courthouse in 1993 I was looking only for clues to his death date and to verify his children\u2019s names. When I reviewed those pages a few weeks ago, though, I noticed details like the items in the inventory and the number of acres of land he held, which for me added a great deal of context to his life and standing within the community. Any old document can hold new clues \u2014 and uncovering those is a terrific way to spend 10 minutes of your time. This article will walk you through how to reexamine old records properly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Good luck!<\/p>\n

By Patricia Hartley. <\/strong><\/span>For nearly 30 years\u00a0Patricia <\/strong>has researched and written about the ancestry and\/or descendancy of her personal family lines, those of her extended family and friends, and of historical figures in her community. She has a B.S. in Professional Writing and English and an M.A. in English from the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama, as well as an M.A. in Public Relations\/Mass Communications from Kent State University. She\u2019s a member of the Alabama Genealogical Society, Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, International Society of Family History Writers, Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society, Natchez Trace Genealogical Society and the International Institute for Reminiscence and Life Review.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

10 Ways to Improve Your Family Tree in 10 Minutes or Less Last Updated November 13, 2024 Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!) Unlike most projects, you\u2019re never truly \u201cdone\u201d with genealogy. Tracing your family\u2019s history can easily become a lifelong pursuit. Locating relevant records, uncovering family stories […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-guides","tag-db"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions\/216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}