11 December 2013
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Genealogy checklist: 7 things you need to do before the year is out
Are you prepared to say goodbye to 2013? It's that time again when we need to take stock and observe what we have achieved wi
Are you prepared to say goodbye to 2013? It's that time again when we need to take stock and observe what we have achieved with our family history research this year, and make plans for a new year of genealogy.
January will be a time for new resolutions and renewed genealogy vigour, when we decide 2014 is the year to finally smash that brickwall or make contact with those living relatives. Before that, though, we need to acknowledge our progress over the past 12 months and make certain our research is in order before the festivities begin.
Use our list below, and if you're not sure if you've completed a task, you can find all you need to know in the relevant issue of Family Tree. You can order a back issue here, or download a digital issue to read right now from Pocketmags.com.
1 Make sure your research is in order
In the Christmas 2012 issue, Barbara J Starmans revealed how she keeps her family history records in order using Evernote. Are your notes organised?
2 Squeeze every last bit of information from your certificates
Emma Jolly gave essential tips for finding your forebears’ missing details in birth, marriage and death records in the September 2013 issue. Have you found all the possible info?
3 Check you’ve explored the census as fully as possible
Answers to commonly asked census question appeared in the August 2013 issue.
4 Update your online tree
Wherever you keep your family tree, now is a good time to make sure it’s up to date. We explain cloud trees in our magbook Family history at your fingertips.
5 Get to grips with new avenues for research
Also included in Family history at your fingertips is an introduction to popular social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, and how you can use them for family history. Make sure you’re up to date!
6 Future-proof your research
Ensure your genealogy research is safe with our article in the August 2013 issue.
7 365 Tips, Tricks and To-dos – are they all ticked off?
In the January 2013 issue we gave you the ultimate to-do list to help you have your most successful family history year ever. We hope you put the tips to good use, but in case you missed any, you can take another look, as these tips are good for 2014 too!
The beauty of family history is it's never really finished, is it? There's always a new resource to explore or a new line to trace. Family Tree will continue to be your genealogy companion throughout the year ahead and you can rely on us to let you know new ways to improve your researches and the top tips to help you get the most from your favourite sources. Have a peaceful Christmas, but be ready to join us again with the January issue, on sale 27 December!