How Strong Are Your Tree’s Roots?

Genealogy is an exciting journey of discovery, but it’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of the chase. With the explosion of online tools and databases, anyone can start creating their family history instantly – but how many of us pause to ask: does my tree have solid roots?

It’s tempting to go down the rabbit hole when you find a name that seems like it might be one of your ancestors, but jumping to conclusions is one of the quickest ways to build a shaky tree. Many genealogy websites show helpful hints or suggestions, based on similar names, dates, or locations. These can be incredibly helpful, but they also come with the risk of connecting you to the wrong ancestor. Let’s explore how to ensure your genealogy is based on a strong, reliable foundation, so you can be confident that the ancestors you’ve uncovered are actually yours!

The Good, The Bad, and The Shaky Leaf

Genealogy websites, especially the big subscription-based platforms, offer a plethora of automated tools that can help point you in the right direction of your ancestors. These sites use advanced algorithms that sift through massive databases to generate “hints”—suggested records for ancestors that might be connected to your family tree. So, on the surface, these hints seem like a genealogy hack—a quick way to expand your family tree with minimal effort. After all, who wouldn’t want a website doing some of the hard work for them?

However, there’s always a catch………

The truth is, these “hints” are often far from perfect. The algorithms are incredibly powerful, but they’re still just algorithms. They use complex logic to match names, dates, locations, and other variables, but there’s no guarantee that the hints they generate are actually accurate. We’ve all seen those really helpful online trees with ancestors who died before they were even born! It’s important to remember that these notifications are “hints” not “facts!” You still need to check and verify everything for yourself.

Avoid Becoming a “Lazy Genealogist”

Don’t fall into the trap of becoming a “lazy genealogist.” It’s tempting to rely on these hints and shortcut your research, but there’s no such thing as a true shortcut when it comes to family history research. To be a successful genealogist, you need to put in the hard work—scouring original records, not just relying on transcripts or indexes, and you need to verify everything. Genealogy isn’t about just filling in the blanks; it’s about piecing together the story of your ancestors with as much accuracy as possible.

While these hints might suggest a promising lead, they should never replace your own research. Simply attaching a hint without verifying the information can lead you down the wrong path and result in shaky foundations for your tree. I can’t stress this enough—if you’re just copying someone else’s work without checking the primary sources, your tree will quickly fall. Before you add any new information to your tree, double-check the information. Cross-reference census records, birth certificates, wills, or any other historical documents that provide hard evidence. Genealogical research is all about verifying facts, not making assumptions.

Tip: If you’re unsure about a connection, mark it with a question mark and continue searching for more proof before making it permanent.

Understand the Limitations of Online Trees

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of shared family trees on websites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, or FamilySearch. These platforms allow users to build family trees and share their research, but it’s important to remember that not all family trees are created with the same care and diligence that yours hopefully will have. Just because someone else has a connection listed doesn’t mean it’s correct. If you do find some information that conflicts with what you have already discovered, don’t assume they are right and you are wrong. You can politely ask the owner of the tree if they can prove the connection that they have and you can check and verify this against your own known research. I have discovered multiple trees online that connect the same incorrect set of records to an ancestor. I think the record is over one hundred trees with the same incorrect information, so don’t change anything until you can prove it either way.

Focus on Primary Sources, Not Secondary

When you research your family’s history, always aim for primary sources—original records that document an event directly. Primary sources provide direct evidence of events and relationships, and they will be the strongest foundation for your research. No record is perfect, and discrepancies are common. The key to building a solid family tree is finding consistency across multiple sources. For example, you might find different spellings of a name in various records, or a few years off on a birth date. This doesn’t automatically mean that the document that you have just discovered is wrong, far from it. But, if you notice a significant gap in dates or facts that don’t align, it’s a red flag that you need to investigate further.

Tip: Keep a log of discrepancies and focus on resolving them. Sometimes, the answer lies in cross-referencing a wider variety of sources to create a fuller, more accurate picture.

Document Your Sources

When we first start researching our family history, the majority of us never give much thought about how we are going to prove what we already know or prove what we have discovered. It’s only as we gain more experience and knowledge, that we begin to consider ‘how can I prove that?’ Professional and accredited genealogists work to the genealogical proof standard or GPS and as credible amateur hobbyists we should also be striving for those self-same standards within our own research. There isn’t enough time to fully discuss the GPS within this blog, but one of the key parts of this process requires that each statement of fact in a genealogical investigation has a complete and accurate source citation. Citing sources in family history is something that a lot of people struggle with, me included. So, when I get stuck on what to include in a citation, I think back to the purpose of a citation and check whether my citation meets those objectives. One of the key purposes of a source citation is to help you find the source again. A good citation also helps another researcher find that same source if they want to look at it themselves. So, ask yourself: Does the citation provide sufficient information to find that source again? Rather handily for us, many repositories of family history sources and online websites, provide either a specific suggested citation for the source or a guide to citing their sources. In most cases, these suggestions will be adequate for our purposes. It’s only by adhering to the GPS and properly citing sources, that genealogists ensure that their conclusions are well-documented, traceable, and credible. This ensures that those who follow you can clearly see how you have reached the conclusions that you have. The next question that you need to ask yourself is; does accepting a hint on face value on a family history website meet the criteria set out above?

Build a Tree That Stands the Test of Time

Building a family tree is like constructing a house, it requires a solid foundation. By being diligent, checking your facts, and focusing on verified sources, you can avoid the pitfalls of shaky family trees. Remember, genealogy isn’t a race to fill in the blanks; it’s a process of careful research, critical thinking, and, above all, patience.

So, the next time you add a new leaf to your family tree, ask yourself: Is this new branch correct, can I prove it?

I was once fooled by a gravestone that had the wrong year of death on it, which just goes to show that you can never take anything for granted in family history, even if it is carved in stone!

Remember, genealogy is a process. It’s about carefully and thoughtfully piecing together the facts, verifying sources, and documenting everything along the way. If you take the time to verify and document every connection, your family tree will not only be a beautiful testament to your ancestors, but it will also stand strong for generations to come. In the end, it’s the careful, painstaking research that will yield the most reliable results—and that’s the foundation your family tree truly needs, to stand the test of time.

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