Why am I writing a blog?

When deciding what to write for my first-ever blog, a few ideas came to mind, but I kept coming back to the main question: what do I wish I had when I first started doing genealogy research ten years ago? Obviously, times have changed (a lot!) since then, but the answer has always been the same: relatable content, profound-level discussions, and easy-to-understand processes for doing genealogy research. I know there are a lot of genealogists out there (both professionals and hobbyists) who have how-to blogs and videos, books on the best methodology for doing research, courses, and the list goes on. But I want to do something a little different for this blog. Yes, my first blog series is a set of how-tos on doing research. Still, when I was a Baby Researcher, I wanted to see the mistakes a researcher made and learned from, the underlying significance of a piece of paper, how to better understand my ancestors, and how to escape into their world for a few moments.

At heart, I love United States History, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s what made America…America. I love learning and reading about it, seeing physical sites where people I’ve only ever read about in books once stood. That is what I felt was missing from the genealogy resources and how-tos: the history, the connection to ancestors. Through my blog series, I will make that connection, bringing to life words and documents not only of my ancestors but also of yours. Not every blog will be exciting and filled with history; some will be administrative upkeep, but they are essential to being a great family researcher and genealogist. I hope that digging into family research at a microscopic level will make genealogy a learning and entertaining activity.

Remember how I mentioned some posts would focus on administrative upkeep? Today is one of those days, but don't click away just yet! What follows is the foundational groundwork I use to prepare for a new research project. This is how I do research, and it is fine if it differs from how you do it or want to do it. You can adopt some, none, or all of the techniques I use. Also, blog posts like this are not meant to be tutorials on how to use software programs such as Excel, Ancestry, or Google Docs. There are many tutorials, webinars, and videos online that can provide navigation and use of software programs. These blog posts are meant solely to show how I do research, find information, and follow my workflow.

I will use one of my ancestors, Maude Dunbar, as the model to illustrate the steps of the research process from beginning to end. I have not researched her before so that we will go on this thrilling journey together. But before we do any research, the most important part is to set yourself up properly right from the jump. 

Freak in the (Google) Sheets

When I begin researching a new person, I create a workbook with three spreadsheets for that person (I use Google Sheets, but you are welcome to use whatever spreadsheet program you feel comfortable with). At the top of each spreadsheet, I enter the name of the person I am researching, beginning with their last/maiden name in all capitals, followed by a comma, then the person’s first and middle names, if known—for example, DUNBAR, Maude. If the person’s name is not yet known, it’s okay to say “So-and-So’s Mother” (i.e., Dorothy Parker’s Mother”) until the exact name is determined. If the name or spelling has changed, you can list the different spellings by separating them with a backslash (i.e., “DUNBAR/PARKER, Maud/Maude”). The three spreadsheets are the Correspondence Log, the Research Log, and the Document List.

The Document List

The Document List is exactly what it says: a list of documents to collect during research (if available and applicable). I organized the list as follows: the first section is arranged from the most recent records (death records) to the oldest (birth records) (see Figure 1). I organized it this way because I found that working through a person’s life from death to birth makes the puzzle pieces fit together more easily. It isn’t without challenges, though, and I occasionally have to change up the workflow, but it has been helpful. The second section of the Document List is documents found around the home and personal knowledge (see Figure 2). These are documents or physical items you may have inherited from your ancestors that provide clues about their lives. This could be family bibles, military awards, scrapbooks, interviews, etc. I separated the two sections because not many people inherited items from their ancestors, and I don’t want this section to take up space in the main part of the spreadsheet. Please organize this list as you prefer.

Research Logs

The next spreadsheet in my workbook is the Research Log. I cannot express the importance of using a Research Log and how it helps save time, frustration, and money. When I first started doing genealogical research in 2016, I completely disregarded the need to keep a log. I thought it was a waste of time, tedious, and quite frankly, ridiculous. That is, until I had to take a break from doing research. Between moving to Florida and starting my Bachelor’s degree, I didn’t have time to work on research consistently for about 3 years. When I did manage to get back into researching, I had no idea where I had left off, what I had researched, what I still needed to get, and what I already had. As a result, I spent hours repeating research I had already completed, reusing documents I already had, and sending checks for documents I had already requested and paid for. Needless to say, I found out the hard way why a Research Log is so important. Please don’t do what I did. Make a Research Log!!

My Research Log template is pretty straightforward. Again, I put the name of the ancestor I am working on at the top. The four columns are Date of Search, Source Citation, Purpose of Search & Search Criteria, and Results (see Figure 3). The Date of Search is pretty self-explanatory: that’s the date the search was done. For the Source Citation, this is a bit trickier and requires legwork. You have to include a source citation for every piece of evidence you use or search for, even if the search yields no results (negative evidence). I know it’s frustrating, but it must be done. The best source to help with citations is Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. It is the ultimate genealogy bible, so I highly recommend it. But don't worry about mastering it overnight—the templates we are looking at today will give you a massive head start. 

The third column, Purpose of Search & Search Criteria, is also pretty self-explanatory. It is basically, why did I search that particular source, and what criteria or search parameters did I use? For example, let’s say I am looking for Maude’s obituary (see a later post about how I did this). That would be the Purpose of the Search. I used Newspapers.com to search for it (an appropriate source citation is created in the log), and the search criteria are: Keyword = “Maude Dunbar” (including the quotation marks to refine the search), Date = 1899, and Location = Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Including the Search Criteria helps to eliminate using the same criteria for the same source, especially if you have negative evidence and need to continue searching that source using other criteria.

The Results column is where you can provide what came up based on the criteria you provided for that source. In the obituary example above, I received no search results. In that cell under the column, I would write “No results”. On the following line, I would repeat the information in the Date of Search, Source Citation, and Purpose of Search, then add new Search Criteria and the results from that search. Now, if the search I did resulted in finding the obituary, then I yell out a jubilant “Hurrah!” and write in the Results column that the obituary was found. I would then update the source citation to have the specific location of the obituary (page, column, etc.).

Correspondence Log

The final spreadsheet in the workbook is the Correspondence Log (see Figure 4). In this day and age, with everything becoming increasingly digital, the Correspondence Log may not be used as often as the Research Log, but it is still very important. At the top of this spreadsheet, you guessed it, we put the ancestor’s name. This spreadsheet has five columns: Date Sent, Addressee/Address, Purpose, Date Replied, and Results. All of these columns are self-explanatory. I want to point out a couple of tips, though. For the Addressee/Address, if you sent correspondence via a Contact Form on a website, I enter the website URL and note “Contact Form” as well. If it is an email, I include the email address and the person’s name, if known. If the person’s name is not known, I use a company name, department name, or any other identifying information to make it clear who/where I contacted. In the Date Replied column, I put the final correspondence date. If there is back-and-forth with a responder, the date of my last communication with them will be marked. For example, let’s say that on 12 July 2026 I reached out via an email address I found on Wollaston Congregational Church’s website to request membership records for Maude Dunbar, and I believe she was a member in 1910. The church’s secretary responds, asking if I am also interested in Maude’s marriage records, to which I respond excitedly that I am for sure interested in these records. A few days later, on 14 July 2026, the secretary responds with the membership and marriage records. After I receive the records, I will write 14 July 2026 as the Date Replied, since it is my last communication with the secretary and the completion of this request.

If Wollaston Congregational Church did not, in fact, have any records for Maude or that she was ever a member there, I would enter the bleak and dismal date I was told this information and the results as “No records found”. I would then reach out to another church that may have this information, and thus, the next line would follow the same process.

Phew, that’s a lot of information! But don’t feel discouraged. We will work through this together in the upcoming posts, I promise!

And now we part

Getting your organizational system set up takes a bit of upfront effort, but trust me—it will absolutely save your butt in the long run. Keeping these spreadsheets up to date is the secret to moving from a frustrated hobbyist to a confident family detective.

Now that our digital workspace is ready and our tools are sharp, the real fun begins. In my next post, we are dipping our toes into researching the mystery of Maude Dunbar.

Are you ready to see what secrets await us? Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever kept a research log, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our first deep dive into the past!