Genealogical Research

Genealogy is, for some reason I have yet to fathom, a pastime filled with forms. There are forms for abstracting particular records, forms for recording families, another for recording pedigrees. There are correspondence logs and census forms and timeline sheets and on and on and on until our files and folders are filled to the bursting point. Most of these forms are unnecessary and, in fact, some forms are downright harmful since they force the researcher to arrange information out of order or don’t provide the necessary space for every detail that needs remembering.

In fact, most times a plain ol’ sheet of paper will work, if it’s something that really needs to be done or kept up with. Research logs (aka research calendars and journals) are a case in point. I’ve looked at many pre-printed research log forms and have been completely dissatisfied with each one. Before I explain how I handle research logs, however, let’s look at a brief definition of a research log, how and why to use one, and the information each log should contain.

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