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Last Updated November 13, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n By Patricia Hartley<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you remember why you first started digging into your family history? Although everyone\u2019s \u201cwhy\u201d is unique, most researchers are looking for something\u2026or someone. Maybe you wanted to learn more about great-grandma Susannah. Perhaps you\u2019d heard that your dad\u2019s people came from Ireland and you decided to investigate. Or maybe you were adopted, or never knew one of your parents, and you just want to learn a little more about how they lived.<\/span><\/p>\n No matter the reason, your goal probably wasn\u2019t simply to see just how many names you could add to your family tree. Hopefully, you started your quest to find real, verifiable<\/em> facts to help you flesh out your family\u2019s story and really understand your family\u2019s past.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, that\u2019s not always the way it goes. Often, when we first begin our research, we really don\u2019t know what we\u2019re doing and make a lot of mistakes. We forget to verify connections between generations, we don\u2019t always add sources, we copy from other people\u2019s trees\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n Make Instant Discoveries in Your Family Tree Now Imagine adding your family tree to a simple website and getting hundreds of new family history discoveries instantly.<\/b><\/p>\n 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 And then, somewhere down the line, we aren\u2019t exactly sure what\u2019s fact and what\u2019s fiction anymore. <\/strong><\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve even ended up with an unmanageable mish-mash that does nothing but frustrate and confound\u2026and makes you want to throw up your hands and quit. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As contradictory as it sounds, scrapping your current family tree can actually be a great way to kick-start your research and may save you time over trying to fix buried problems. Sure, the idea of tossing out your 11,472-individual database makes you cringe, but if you find yourself in any of the following situations, maybe it\u2019s time to put that behemoth aside and thoughtfully start over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Think about everything you\u2019ve learned about genealogy since you added the first name to your tree. No matter how polished your skills may be today, chances are you made some mistakes in the early days that have never been corrected. <\/span><\/p>\n Remember those unsourced facts (names, dates, locations) you\u00a0just went ahead and entered temporarily<\/em>? The ones you thought you\u2019d find sources for later. Or how about that branch of your tree that you grabbed from another person\u2019s online research? Or that data that your cousin gave you that you never verified? What about that error you identified a few months back but never fixed and forgot to make note of?<\/span><\/p>\n If you created a tree and weren\u2019t that cautious about errors and inconsistencies at the onset, it may be easier to put it aside and start all over again (using your current tree as a reference point). This will give you a chance to critically examine every single fact in your tree one at a time, leaving no stone unturned.<\/p>\n 20 Billion Genealogy Records Are Free for 2 Weeks Get two full weeks of free access to more than 20 billion genealogy records right now. You\u2019ll also gain access to the MyHeritage discoveries tool that locates information about your ancestors automatically<\/b> when you upload or create a tree. What will you discover about your family\u2019s past?<\/p>\n Claim My Free Record Access Now<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n One of the most gratifying aspects of researching your family history is the spirit of sharing within the genealogical community. Unfortunately, other people\u2019s trees are very often the most unreliable sources of information.<\/span><\/p>\n As a general rule, you should never, ever, take for granted that any online tree\u2013or even one you\u2019ve inherited from a previous family researcher\u2013is accurate<\/strong>. Sure, it\u2019s perfectly OK to make note of the information in another researcher\u2019s tree as a clue to be investigated further, but don\u2019t enter those tidbits into your own tree until you\u2019re certain they\u2019re true.<\/span><\/p>\n It is very easy nowadays to copy from another person\u2019s tree without adding a source to copied facts. And the vast majority of people have many unsourced facts in their trees for this reason<\/strong>. If this is an issue for you, starting over \u2013 and properly sourcing every single fact \u2014 may be in order.<\/p>\n For help with avoiding common sourcing problems, and adding sources to your tree properly, see Family History Daily\u2019s online courses. The courses offer guidance on using Ancestry\u2019s hints, trees and sourcing options as well as general sourcing guidance.<\/p>\n Also Read: Another Person\u2019s Family Tree is Not a Valid Source<\/p>\n There\u2019s no better way to ensure your tree is properly sourced and accurate than to go through the process of verifying your work for a third party. Most (if not all) lineage societies like Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mayflower Society require that applicants prove, not only each fact noted on his or her direct line, but also each parent\/child relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n Knowing that your family tree will be challenged and scrutinized forces you to double-check your documentation, rethink previous assumptions, and maybe even scrap your old tree in favor of a brand new one.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you want to share your tree publicly online, show off your research at a family reunion, leave your tree for future generations, or apply for membership in an organization, you will want your research to be air tight.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry\u2026\u201dscrapping\u201d your old tree doesn\u2019t mean that you delete or literally destroy your previous work. When starting over, you\u2019ll use what you\u2019ve already gathered as a starting point for your new research.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The best way to start over is to simply create a new tree on whatever program or site you already use and mark it private. Almost every service allows this. Then, start with yourself and move back through time \u2013 adding as you go.\u00a0In your new tree, you\u2019ll only add in names and facts if you can verify them, and always add your sources.<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019ll never make assumptions, copy another\u2019s research or ignore inconsistencies or errors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Educate yourself and explore new resources to improve your research along the way. The process may take time, but will be well worth the effort.\u00a0Don\u2019t be scared to start over. You may end up with a much smaller tree and more brick walls but that just ensures that your genealogical journey will continue!<\/span><\/p>\n For some help identifying errors in your tree, read this article. And don\u2019t forget to check out the rest of the articles on our site as well as\u00a0Family History Daily\u2019s online courses. From getting organized to finding the right tree program to identifying free resources \u2013 Family History Daily can help you improve your research.<\/p>\n Of course, we can\u2019t mention starting over without mentioning Thomas MacEntee\u2019s Genealogy Do-Over challenge. It\u2019s undergoing some changes, but is always worth checking out.<\/p>\n You may also enjoy:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Are You Sure They\u2019re Your Ancestors? This Genealogy Blunder is More Common Than Ever<\/p>\n For nearly 30 years\u00a0Patricia Hartley\u00a0<\/strong>has\u00a0researched 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. After earning a B.S. in Professional Writing and English and an M.A. in English from the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama, she completed 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. She lives with her husband Doug, a firefighter and paramedic, on the beautiful Tennessee River. Patricia has two children, Jessica and Jamie, both graduates of the University of North Alabama.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 3 Signs You Should Scrap Your Family Tree and Start from Scratch Last Updated November 13, 2018 Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!) By Patricia Hartley Do you remember why you first started digging into your family history? Although everyone\u2019s \u201cwhy\u201d is unique, most researchers are looking for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-398","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\/398","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=398"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":401,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398\/revisions\/401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Here are 3 Signs You Should Scrap Your Family Tree and Start from Scratch<\/h1>\n
1. If you started your tree before you knew what you were doing and haven\u2019t gone back to fix errors<\/b><\/h3>\n
2. If you have many unreliable sources, or unsourced facts<\/b><\/h3>\n
3. If someone important wants to see your research<\/b><\/h3>\n
What to Do When It\u2019s Time for a Brand New Tree<\/b><\/h2>\n
For More Help<\/h3>\n