Before setting out on a road trip, you have to have to plot your course. The same goes for Genealogical research. This class guides attendees on how to analyze records and resources, understanding Murphy’s “So, What?” principle, setting up a timeline, and developing a research plan.

1. Designing your
Genealogy Research:
Determining the
Evidence!
Fredericksburg, Virginia,
Family History Center-3/1/2014
Shelley Murphy

2. Overview
• Basic Genealogy Research
• Genealogy Challenges
• Murphy’s “So What” principle
• Timeline…you just have to do one!
• Developing the Research Plan

3. Basic Genealogy Research
• Begin with yourself or one of your parents
• Know your records and resources
• Write down your information-Document!
• Who is your oldest living family member?-Call
them-Today
• Oral History, Photos, and Sharing of Information

4. If you are not organized
• you’ll become frustrated and quit, or duplicate
research you’ve already done
Ref: Black Roots, Tony Burroughs pg.44

5. You will become successful
in collecting pieces of paper.
• If you do not have a system for filing, saving, or
retrieving.

6. What goes Out Must come
IN
Whether you're writing to a cousin or to a county clerk
three states away, tracking all of your pending
information requests is crucial.
Keep copies of all the letters you send — they act as records
of what you requested when,
Tell the family of your successes or failures…it will become
a recording and you might get some help or new
information.

7. Tips
• When you are researching, Only search one
name/person/surname, if you see other names
that you need to research further, make a note on
a post-it, or add to the to do list- date it.
• REMEMBER to cite all the information so you can
return to the right document.
• Stick to your to do list, have only one to do listper person/file
• Do not try to analyze your information -take it
home to read, sort, & make notes

8. More Tips
• Join and participate in a genealogical
society, group…
• Attend genealogy training and conferences (keep
a record of your attendance)
• Share your experiences
• Ask for help & Set up sharing time

9. What you need to know
about a person
• Full name and nicknames (why nicknames)
• Where were they born, what county, city, state
date, where they born in a hospital?
• What was going on in the area during the years
you are researching?
• What were the
parents, names, grandparents, etc, where they
born, type of work they did, siblings…
• Type of work, who are the neighbors, church
affiliations

10. Primary vs. Secondary
Primary, a person witnessed the event
Secondary, did not witness the event
Why is it important to you?

11. Genealogy Challenges vs.
Walls
• Records not recorded into public record
• Records destroyed
• Denial-don’t want to know, it’s the past
• Don’t want to share the information
• Received information that is not the truth or reliable
• You keep looking for people of color
• Do you really have a wall/challenge?

12. Murphy’s “So What” principle
• Let’s look at a Death Record and see what
information we will find…get into groups or
partner with your neighbor and view the
document• Ask questions and think of what you can do
with the information you find. What can it do
for you?

13. Timeline…you just have to
do one!
• Why do you have to have one
• Review the handout
• Look for the gaps
• Once you draft one-what do you have?

14. Developing the Research
Plan
• Why do you need one?
• Review the handout

15. What’s next?
• Good gosh, what did we just do???
• Want to do it again?
• Questions?

16. Thank you!
• Contact: keli1@aol.com
• Find me on Facebook: Shelley Murphy, living in
Paris, France or on AAHGS Central VA Chapter
• Twitter: familytreegirl
• Telephone: 434-806-7433
• Fluvanna Library, Saturday-usually 3rd Saturday