Genealogy research is an exciting and rewarding endeavour, but it can also be frustrating and confusing. One of the most effective ways to make sense of your research and find the answers you’re looking for is to start with yourself and work backwards. This approach, also known as the “reverse genealogy” method, has many benefits and can help you to understand your family history in a deeper and more meaningful way.
The first benefit of starting with yourself is that it allows you to establish a clear starting point for your research. When you begin with yourself, you know exactly who you are and where you come from, which makes it much easier to trace your ancestry and identify potential relatives. Additionally, starting with yourself allows you to focus on the information that is most important to you, such as your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, rather than getting bogged down in details about distant relatives.
Another benefit of starting with yourself is that it allows you to build a solid foundation for your research. By starting with yourself, you can establish a timeline of your family history, identify key events and milestones, and gather important documents and records, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates. This information will be essential as you move backwards in your research and begin to fill in the details of your family tree.
In addition, starting with yourself and working backwards allows you to focus on the most recent generations of your family first. As you move backwards in time, the records and information available become more scarce. By focusing on the most recent generations, you will be able to find the most accurate and reliable information. This will allow you to build a strong foundation for your research, which will be invaluable as you move backwards in time.
Moreover, starting with yourself also allows you to easily identify and communicate with living relatives. By working backwards, you will be able to identify and contact relatives who may have information about your family history and can help you to fill in the gaps in your research. This will help you to build a more complete picture of your family history and to understand the stories and traditions that have been passed down through the generations.
Ultimately, starting with yourself and working backwards is an effective and efficient way to conduct genealogy research. It allows you to establish a clear starting point, build a solid foundation, focus on the most recent generations, and easily identify and communicate with living relatives. By following this approach, you will be able to gain a deeper understanding of your family history and to make meaningful connections with your ancestors.
Discovering Your Past 