And so I began. My mother had been working on our lines since the 1970s and had collected a lot of data. But as the years went by, she had spent less and less time on our own family as she professionally researched and compiled family histories for others, and later began writing reference books. As I became interested in the hobby, we dusted off the files and attacked our lines once again. I began entering the data she had collected on the computer. I saw no reason to waste time with sources and the like. At that time, genealogy software programs weren't as "source-friendly" and I sure didn't want to do anything the hard way. After all, we were in the age of computers; all this source stuff was slowing me down. I was on a roll!

I can't say I wasn't warned. Mom did her best to educate me on sound research practices, but of course I knew better. Wrong! It didn't take long to realize that my way was not working, and I was forced to admit defeat. As those little trickles of documents began metamorphosing into large piles, it was taking me forever to find information. I had Thomas Tobin mixed in with Thomas Howley, and Margaret Howley in with Margaret Dooner. I couldn't get a good research session going to save my life, and my husband was starting to give me that look. You know the one. It says something like, "Didn't we once have a dining room table here somewhere?" and "Please get rid of these piles or I will take them out back and bury your ancestors for a second time."

I tried several organizing schemes, all of which were dismal failures. Then I adopted a three-ring binder system. I wrote about this a while back in "Making it Easy to Stay Organized" so I won't go into too much detail here. Basically, I keep a notebook for each family, which includes sections for the family I'm working on as well as sections for miscellaneous tidbits that I haven't quite tied in. I put information on children who are direct ancestors in their own individual file, although I do put cross-reference charts in the parent file. Information about any siblings is placed in the parent file.

It's not perfect, but it works for me and the notebooks have pretty much tamed the paper monster I was battling. Eventually I will have to split some of the binders, but by putting the documents in sleeves and punching holes in the charts and reports, it confines those loose papers that once threatened to take over my house.

Document, Schmocument
Another thing we frequently hear about is proper documentation. Sounds so stuffy! But remember all those computer files I tediously entered without sources? They're in the Recycle Bin. After about the millionth time I looked at a date on a chart and ended up banging my head on a wall trying unsuccessfully to remember where I got it from, I decided it was time to start from scratch and include sources.

There are plenty of folks out there who don't believe original records are necessary. I saw a post on a message board a few weeks ago where the individual complained that he had come up dry after a prolonged search for information on his Grandma Sue (names have been changed to protect Grandma Sue). The poor soul was left with no option but to order a copy of Grandma Sue's birth certificate. I couldn't help but wonder how long it took this person to resort to such desperate measures. While I know times are tough and it costs money to request records, he could have saved himself much time and frustration by ordering the certificate in the first place.

I can definitely relate to a tight budget, and can certainly understand that financial factors play a role in how much we can do. As we save for a trip to Texas to visit the in-laws for a week, our meals all seem to taste like chicken. (Hubby says if I serve him one more piece of poultry, he's going to grow feathers and peck his way to the nearest steak house!) I'm guessing most of us need to cut some corners now and then, and although there are a number of records I still need to order, some of them are on hold until the purse strings get a little looser. I order them one or two at a time and then it doesn't kill the family budget. By ordering these important documents, I can also be sure I'm building a firm foundation for future research. I don't have the time or the money for wild goose chases.

Still, the Internet has spawned a new breed of "gatherers" who go from place to place collecting from other people's research—a piece here, and a piece there. I often wonder what they consult when they find conflicting sources. I guess they just e-mail their sources and let them duke it out. I prefer to rely on my own work, and although I would love to collaborate with other researchers who are working on the same lines, I want copies of the records in my files to consult if there is a discrepancy. Besides, when you rely on other people's work, they're the ones having all the fun.

Juliana Smith is the editor of the Ancestry Daily News and author of The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book. She has written for Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail at: mailto:editor@ancestry-inc.com, but regrets that she is unable to assist with personal research. An archive of her Monday columns, "The Family History Compass," are available on the Ancestry.com site.