{"id":17529,"date":"2016-10-24T11:11:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T15:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=17529"},"modified":"2021-04-19T14:55:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T18:55:32","slug":"genealogy-101-2-ask-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-2-ask-the-question.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: #2 Ask the Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 part of an ongoing \u201cIntroduction to Genealogy\u201d series \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega discusses some basic genealogy questions you should ask yourself before beginning your family history research online. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So, you\u2019ve taken the first step: you\u2019ve written down what you know about your family history, interviewed relatives, and searched for home sources (see: Genealogy 101: #1 Gather What You Know<\/a>). Now you are ready to go online to do your family history research, right? Well not quite yet. What\u2019s the very first thing you should do before sitting down to your computer to search for your family history?<\/p>\n

\"Illustration:<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask a Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why should you ask a question? Well for one, consider what research is. According to Merriam-Webster, a definition of research is: \u201ccareful or diligent search.\u201d Part of that careful search requires you to have a question that you want answered. It can be tempting in seeking your family\u2019s history to jump right into trying to learn more about your family, or researching yourself back several generations \u2013 but ultimately, better research starts with a question.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Your Question?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now don\u2019t get me wrong, not any old question will do. The question you ask needs to be specific and somewhat simple. So for example, wanting to trace yourself back to the 1500s isn\u2019t specific enough and ignores all the steps that would be involved in such a huge task. And quite frankly, you may not be able to do that. Asking a question like \u201cWhere were my paternal grandparents married?\u201d or \u201cWhat is my maternal grandfather\u2019s birthday?\u201d are more appropriate research questions. Need some help with your question? Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n