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  1. #1

    Default Resource Logs - Opinions Please!!

    What is everyone's opinion of source logs? For those of you just starting out in this business, a source log or research log is a sheet of paper, usually in table format, that you fill out as and when you look into a source of information. Usually, you log the person which the source is about, what the source of information is, where you found it, how useful it was and if there are any follow up notes/investigations required. Some extremely diligent people even log every internet search and the parameters of the search so they don't go duplicating searches and wasting their time (I am not one of these people, which is why I tend to run around in circles!). It can also be used as plan of sorts for investigating new sources at a future date.

    Anyway my question is, what is the best, most effective way to use these logs. Do you keep a log on each family member, or one log per family unit perhaps? Or maybe just one master log that is for your research as a whole? What do you think?

  2. #2
    Brick wall demolition expert!
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    I have been researching for over 30 years and have never used anything so formalised, if for no other reason than it would be far too restrictive.

    The key, in my view, to good researching, is to always make comprehensive notes (source notes) about where you have found information from, so that you don't later come back and think "where did that come from?" - and to make those as you go, not as an after thought.

    Another key thing, is to have a note book, and when you come across something that you don't have time to explore, make a note of it, and go back another time.

    However, don't forget that records are not static, particular those online. They are continually being added to, and sometimes being taken away from - when FMP first upload their Welsh Parish Record collection they included certain diocese records, that they did not have permission to do so and had to remove them.

    So my message to you is everyone has their own way of working, and you have to find one that works for you. Everyone will make mistakes, because that is just how it is, and it is part of this wonderful hobby that we are all obsessed with!

  3. #3
    Reputation beyond repute
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    I've used research logs - one per person but only for difficult customers. You don't need an overall research log for everyone because each event should have a full citation.

    For me, a research log is a to-do list and also a note of unsuccessful searches in order to avoid trying the same thing twice. I can't see any virtue in logging every single task for every single person.

  4. #4
    Super Moderator - Completely bonkers and will never change.
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    I would agree with Megan that everyone has their own way of doing things, so there is no right or wrong way, but what you do have to do is keep meticulous records of where, what, and when you searched anything.
    I'm searching for a family mainly associated with Glinton (Northants). Ancestry have both the PRs and BTs online, and sometimes one is clearer than the other so if I download a copy I need to record which one it is. I also need to keep a record of exactly which pages I've checked otherwise I can easily find myself (running round in circles ) checking the same pages again. (Trust me, you do learn the hard way!)

    Personally, I would have thought one big file would be too cumbersome. I have my records split via my four grandparents, and I try to deal with one family at a time. e.g. William Zerplunk is living in Glinton in 1871, so I then trace William forward in the census until his death, and backwards till his birth/baptism. Ditto his wife, and children. I tend to leave searching the PRs until I've completed most of the family. This is because if William, his wife, and both sets of parents all came from the same place it means you only have to search the PRs once, instead of looking for William, then his wife, then his parents, etc. Just go through once, and list all the names conected with the surnames you've already collected, e.g, Zerplunk, Vanderbelk (William's wife's surname), Sharp (his mother's maiden name).
    All the info from the PRs is kept in a separate file.

    My main method of keeping track is via four spreadsheets (one for each grandparent's family). Surname, first names, name of spouse, birth, baptism, marriage, death, burial, individual census years from 1841-1911, and as more records are now available , I've now added 1939 Register, school records, and probate. If nothing else, it's a reminder of records I need to look for.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  5. #5
    Ron Leech
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    I use a spreadsheet for each person I am tracing they get a line of entry for GRO ref (if one exists), Baptism, Death and Marriage. If they marry more than once an additional line for each marriage. I cross reference this with each marriage partner irrespective of whether the couple actually marry or not. I carry this on a laptop where ever I am researching. I also note if they leave a will.

    On my Family Tree Programme I try to write comprehensive source notes. This may be overkill and despite all of this still wind up repeating for some people. I found I needed such a comprehensive system to keep track of individuals once I had over 500 souls in the tree.

    Ron

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