Building Your Family Tree: The Tortoise Approach to Genealogical Success

The race between the tortoise and the hare offers a timeless lesson—one that applies perfectly to genealogy. The hare sprinted ahead with enthusiasm but lost focus, while the tortoise moved steadily, methodically, and ultimately crossed the finish line. When building your family tree, especially as a beginner, embrace the tortoise’s wisdom.

Why Speed Can Lead You Astray

It’s tempting to accept every hint and suggestion that genealogy websites offer. These platforms are designed to be helpful, showing you potential relatives and connections with just a few clicks. However, hints are generated by algorithms, not historians. They’re educated guesses based on matching names, dates, and locations—but they’re not always accurate. A hint might lead you down a rabbit hole, connecting you to the wrong branch of your family entirely, wasting hours of research and potentially corrupting your family tree with false information.

The Foundation: Sources and Documentation

Here’s what separates a solid family tree from a flawed one: sources and documentation. Every ancestor and relative you add to your tree should be supported by evidence. When you encounter a hint, treat it as a starting point, not a conclusion.

Document multiple sources for each person you add to your tree. These sources might include:

  • Birth, marriage, and death certificates
  • Census records
  • Church records
  • Newspaper articles
  • Land deeds or property records
  • Military records
  • Family letters or photographs

When you gather multiple sources that point to the same information, you’ve verified the hint’s accuracy. When sources contradict each other, you’ve discovered an inconsistency worth investigating further. Either way, you’re building knowledge, not just a list of names.

Building Methodically: Your Step-by-Step Approach

Start with what you know. Begin with yourself and work backward through your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Document each generation thoroughly before moving to the next.

Establish a solid paper trail. Before accepting a hint, research it independently. Look for corroborating evidence. Compare new information to your known family tree and spot inconsistencies. If something doesn’t fit, dig deeper rather than forcing it into place.

Keep organized records. Maintain a fact-checked master list of dates and events as you research. Use consistent date formatting throughout your work. Note where each piece of information came from and what questions remain unanswered.

Verify hints carefully. When a website suggests a connection, ask yourself: Does this match what I already know? Are there multiple sources supporting this? Could this person be a different individual with a similar name?

The Reward of Patience

Building your family tree methodically takes longer than clicking through hints, but the result is a family history you can trust and share with confidence. Your descendants will appreciate the careful work you’ve done, knowing that the stories and connections in your tree are grounded in evidence.

Be the tortoise. Move steadily. Document thoroughly. Verify carefully. Your family tree will be richer, more accurate, and infinitely more meaningful for the time you invest in doing it right.

Created with assistance: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (May 24 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat