Ask Questions

The second step in the genealogy research process: ASK QUESTIONS as you turn your heart to your ancestors!

You are having a good time turning your heart to your family, right?

Great!

Step 2 of the research process is a natural byproduct of your heart-turning activities.

It just takes a simple flip of a switch to go from

passive-observer mode

^{(“Oh look at that cute photo! Great-Grandma holding me at my second birthday party. Isn’t that nice?”)}

to active-investigator mode

^{(“Hang on a second. I got to meet my great-grandma as a tot. Who were her great-grandmas? And did any of them attend my great-granny’s birthday parties?”)}

Be a Curious George as you engage in X, Y or Z!

WONDER as you review Grandpa’s obituary.

Laugh and cry at the stories your aunts share over Thanksgiving pie – and then use a thoughtful question to reach for more.

Don’t just gloss over the dash between birth and death years as you give that headstone a cursory glance. Let your imagination run wild for a minute or three and ask yourself: What do I really know about what happened to this person “in the dash“?

As you are wondering, take a moment to jot down those questions.

Sophisticated software is not required.

Use any method that suits YOU.

I previously did lots of wondering on a large white board that hung near my desktop computer. Now I have running lists on the Notepad app on my phone.

I’ve also jotted down questions on sticky notes. If you are immersing yourself in “old-fashioned” items like photo albums and paper family histories, inserting little sticky tabs with a word or two to jog your memory might work for you.

FamilySearch and Ancestry enable logged-in users to create their own running “To-do list” on their home page. If you are already on one of these websites, browsing your family tree, etc, these may be a handy place to jot down your questions. Look for these widgets (FamilySearch’s on the left, Ancestry’s on the right):

The point is, while you are turning your heart, turn your inquisitive side on too, and put your questions down where you can return to them.

It’s that easy.

So what are you waiting for?

Go Ask Questions about your family! 🙂

P.S. If you would like specific ideas for questions to ask when you are browsing your family tree, check out this post.

Next up: with questions in mind, you are ready to Plan Your Search!