How Accurate Will a Self-Performed Genealogy Search Be?
How accurate a self-performed genealogy will be is up to the researcher. It is very easy to be led astray by sloppy records unless extreme diligence is followed. However, it is very possible to perform your own genealogy search. If you are the researcher, start with yourself. You can hardly go wrong there as you know your full name, using maiden name instead of married, and your birth and baptism dates, marriage date, graduation dates and other pertinent ones just for you. Then, look into your parents. Usually you know all those important names and dates. Find your grandparents by asking relatives, searching the family Bible or searching closets, cedar chests and old boxes of saved correspondence. Ask a lot of questions of any available relatives and friends. Jot down all notes and save them as you never know what will be valuable later on. Well written and accurate books are invaluable for helping you start out on an extended search. You will learn how to find land, marriage, birth, d
