5 New Year thoughts for family history researchers

1. Family history is about YOU and your immediate family as much as about your ancestors.  Write or record your memories, sort out keepsakes and photos and label them carefully.  Everything has a story and we shouldn't neglect ourselves and our memories in search of the elusive past.

2. Family history research is YOUR research and you choose how and what to research.  It is not about how many ancestors are in your tree or how far back you have got but about who and what interests you.  Every ancestor has a story to tell - the trick is finding it.

3. Family history isn't only done on the Internet but in archives, museums, record offices, libraries, streets, cemeteries and churchyards.  You don't have to have a computer but modern technology can often make your research easier and quicker.

4. Family history research is done at a pace that suits you.  It isn't a race or a competition.  If you go too fast without looking carefully at what you've found you could miss something important and then spend months or even years looking in the wrong place.

5. Family history research where you don't note down exactly where you found your information and/or take a copy can lead to a great deal of wasted time in the future when you can't find it again.  Records on the Internet may not be there in 2 years time as websites change all the time.