Why You Need a Genealogy Research Log
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Updated March 22, 2022
Genealogy research logs are essential to keeping your genealogy organized!
I have to admit, I didn’t keep a research log for a long time back when I was a baby genealogist. I only wanted to do the fun research and didn’t realize how important it was to know what I had already looked at and write down where I had found something.
But after a while, I began to think to myself “Hmmm, this looks familiar… Have I already seen this?”
This happened a few times before I got it together and got myself organized.
Once I started writing down what I was searching for, where I searched for it, and where did I found it, my research became so much more efficient because I wasn’t looking at the same things over and over.
I had more time to find answers because I knew where I needed to look next. Let’s face it, we (sadly) don’t have endless time to do our family history research. We need to make sure our searches maximize the limited time we have, and that means not duplicating what we’ve already done.
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Reasons why you should use a genealogy research log
A genealogy research log is more than a to-do list. It’s an information archive of everything you’ve done and need to do for a given ancestor or research goal.
Here are some key reasons why a research log will help you:
It does take time to fill out the log, but it saves time in the long run because you don’t keep rechecking that same source over and over with the same results.
We sometimes take long breaks from researching a person. A log helps refresh your memory of when you last searched for that person and what you searched for.
It helps you track your citations, so you know where you found a piece of information in case you need to reference it again.
It helps you analyze what you’ve found so you can draw conclusions. Was the information reliable? Was it firsthand or secondhand information? Did it come from an original record or a derivative? Did it answer your research question, or do you need to keep looking?
Websites and databases can change. Information can disappear. Don’t assume that you’ll always be able to access online sources or recreate a citation. A log records what you find in case the source goes away or changes.
A log notes when you last checked a database so you can check to see any updates and if you need to search it again.
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What to include in your family history research log
Genealogy research logs can be as simple or complex as you like. But, at the very least, a log should have the following pieces.
1) The name of your ancestor and when they lived
The name of your ancestor should be at the top of each log page. Be sure to include nicknames and maiden names if relevant.
Including their years of birth and death will help you keep your search within the timeframe of their life.
2) The date of the search
The date you searched for a specific record for your ancestor is very important.
Why?
Because database collections change. Images get added or removed. Records are added to a collection as more information gets indexed or becomes available.
Knowing the date you searched will help you understand if you need to check for updates to a collection to see if there is anything new.
But what about books? Those don’t get updated.
Putting in the date you look through a book is also important because we’re always adding new names to our tree and learning about friends and extended family of our ancestors. Even if you’ve looked through a book and found/didn’t find anything about your forebear, there may still be information to uncover about newly discovered relatives or associates.
3) The purpose of the search
What you searched for is also an important piece to include. Sometimes we do general searches to see what pops up. But when doing focused research, be specific about what you wanted to find and write it down.
Record if you were looking for a land deed, marriage certificate, place of burial, etc.
4) The locality
What town, county, or state was the search in? This is helpful to track as people moved around and boundaries changed.
You may have done a search in one county, only to learn that they moved, or the jurisdiction changed, and records may be in another county.
Also, sometimes people simply went to another locality to get married or file a court case. Knowing where you’ve already looked can tell you where you need to look next.
5) What you used for the search
How did you conduct the search? Was it in a library or archive? Was it a website? If so, what is the URL? If it was a book or microfilm, what was the call number?
6) The source you searched
What exactly did you search? A book or database? A website? This is probably one of the most crucial things to track on your log! Cite the specific location of where you found the source and what parts you looked at.
For example, if you looked in a book, which pages? If it was a website, which page and paragraphs had the information you needed?
This is essential for being able to track where you found something if you ever need to go back and double-check the source.
I can’t tell you how many scraps of paper I have from my early days of genealogy research where I wrote down what I found and maybe the general place I found it, but not the specifics.
And you know what? I’m rarely able to find that information again so I can never go back to see if there is even something else that could help my research now that I know more about my family.
7) What you searched for
What search terms did you use? What spelling variations? What time frame?
Recording this level of detail may feel overzealous or boring at first, but it’ll save you so much time later on because you’ll know exactly what you have looked for.
To give you an example of why this is good practice, I have a 3rd great aunt whose name was Sarah Martha Jones. Well, in the beginning, I only did searches for Sarah. But later on, I learned that she most often went by Martha. Knowing I had done all my searches only for Sarah showed me I needed to repeat them for Martha. And spoiler alert – I found like 9 more kids for her when I searched for Martha!
8) The search results
This may seem like a no-brainer but write down what you found – or if you didn’t find anything at all.
It’s as important to note a search with negative results so you don’t waste your time in the future searching that again.
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Tips for how to use a research log
1) My personal feeling about research logs is KISS - Keep It Stupid Simple.
Don’t overthink it. A research log is a tool to help you, not to intimidate you or make you feel burdened by tracking too much data.
Your notes don’t have to be long but do have to be enough to help you remember what you found. It all depends on your system of staying organized.
If you want to transcribe a record into your log that you can copy and paste into your family tree software or somewhere else later, go for it. If you want to only note the basics of what you found, that’s good too.
Test it out and adjust as you go. Start simpler and add more complexity to it later if you want.
2) You can use a family history research log for each of your goals (like finding a baptism record), by a person, or even a couple and their children. Whatever works best for you.
I generally keep a log for each family group I research. This cuts down on the number of files I have to go create and maintain. I can also see everything I’ve done for that person and their immediate family in one place.
This is especially helpful when all the children mostly stayed in one place, and I can use the same sources to search for many people. One log makes it simpler to track all that information.
3) Another idea of a way to use it is to add sources you want to check but haven’t had time, so you don’t forget about them. Our genealogy wish lists can get long and it’s easy to forget about a source you came across but didn’t have time to look into at the time.
4) One more thing to consider is the format. Are you a fan of paper logs or digital ones? You can keep a log in whatever format works best for you, like a spreadsheet, a simple list in Word, an Evernote note, or good old pen and paper.
5) Whatever you opt to do – transcribing an entire record in, tracking one person or a whole family, etc. – make it work for you.
Add more fields to track if you want. Add more key dates. Or take things away.
Whatever will encourage you to record your research notes.
7) Create a research log for an ancestor or family group before you start researching them. That way you’re more likely to actually record your searches rather than getting to it later. You probably won’t get to it later (speaking from personal experience).
Set yourself up for success and have the basic form ready to go!
Related posts:
How and Why to Research Your Collateral Ancestors
How to Find and Use Hidden Clues in Obituaries
Everything You Need to Know About Using Home Sources
6 Common Genealogy Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
Final thoughts
Have I convinced you yet that you should use research logs for genealogy?
Awesome! I’ve got a free gift of genealogy research log templates for you!
Not only will you get family history log templates in Google Sheets and Google Docs versions (which you can download to Word or Excel), you also get a list of helpful genealogy websites to use!
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