
The quickest way
to make progress in genealogical research is to connect with
someone who is further along or is more experienced than you
are. Keep in mind that a large part of the fun of genealogy is
the relationships you develop with people along the way. Be
kind, courteous, helpful, slow to take offense, and quick to
forgive, and you will be rewarded.
-
Mailing Lists,
a.k.a. Email Discussion Groups
Being part of a mailing list
is like having your own virtual research community. It's an
easy way to network with other genealogists to share distant
ancestors, get answers to questions, request lookups and
swap research stories. Genealogy mailing lists are free, fun
and are often one of the best online possibilities for
filling in some of the blanks in your family tree. These
same lists not only help you find information about your
ancestors but many times can connect you with people who
have research interests similar to yours.
- Message
Boards
A message
board is a computerized version of the old-fashioned
bulletin board. You'll find message boards related to
surnames, localities, and other topics. By posting a message
to the appropriate message board, you create a record
through which other researchers can find you. There are
just four message boards of interest to Morgan County
researchers :
Pueblo
County
at Rootsweb
Pueblo
County
at GenForum
Colorado
at GenForum
Unknown Colorado County
queries at Rootsweb
- Magazines
and Societies
Another option
is to submit and look for queries in a genealogy magazine or
newsletter.
Everton's Genealogical Helper
is one popular national outlet for this purpose. The
magazines of some national organizations, such as
National Genealogical Society,
allow queries in some of their publications. You might also
want to check for a historical or genealogical society
magazine or newsletter that is published in the area where
your ancestors lived — it will often be published by the
genealogical society in that area. If someone is researching
the same family line as you, it is possible that they
subscribe to the newsletter and have already posted a query,
or will see a query that you post.
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