Part 12: Enjoying the View

You are never going to be done making a genealogy or family tree...that is a fact, but you can step back and admire that view from time to time. If you have followed the suggestions in our series of blogs you will find yourself admiring the "handy work" quite often. This is particularly true if you used the tactics in the last few blogs that included:

6.Considering the End - we recommended that you investigate the materials that show up at the end of someone's life, such as the obituary, as this tells you a tremendous amount about them and can add a lot of detail to the family tree chart template. We also explained how visits to cemetery websites and to cemeteries themselves can often give a lot of material for the family tree chart too;

7.Official Details - in addition to the obituary and cemetery, we also reminded you of the need to head to the Census Bureau and the Social Security Death Index as you fill in the gaps in the family history and genealogy;

8.Library Visits - we also pointed you to the local library (or the library that is "local" for the person you are researching) as this gives a lot of opportunities unavailable elsewhere. Remember that this information is often online or available via methods apart from an visit if that is not possible;

9.Heading Online - we also recommended joining as many forums, mailing lists, and message boards as possible. This is a lot of effort on your part, BUT it will pay off when you start making connections, sharing details from the family pedigree chart, and helping others in their search of family tree data;

10.The End of Free - only at the very end did we direct you towards the many fee based databases and subscriptions. These are very valuable, but don't pay for information that can be found in other ways...unless you are trying to complete the project in a few days! (Which is not possible anyway you look at it!)

You have now gone through all of the steps that it takes to make a truly excellent family tree and genealogy. The one last suggestion that I would make is to rely on the free family tree tools at this site. Not only will this keep you organized, but the template for a family tree actually guides you up into the many branches in a very concise way. I would have gotten myself turned around and totally lost without the easy to use family tree maker and family tree templates.

Yes, you could do all of this "from scratch" and even complete the search for family tree data without the use of electronic resources, but that is not all that efficient or effective. There are millions of genealogy enthusiasts out there, and you can use the information, tools, and support that they offer to make your ancestry and family tree research as complete as possible. Then you can just stand back and enjoy that view!