Description

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Robin R. Foster, a member of the South Carolina Genealogical Society, Columbia Chapter, is an experienced researcher who has given numerous presentations and answered thousands of questions from researchers around the globe.

She had seen people make common mistakes like using family trees rather than historical records and not remembering to include important things in their research. So, she wrote My Best Genealogy Tips: Quick Keys to Research Ancestry, Book 2 with the intention of helping beginners and seasoned researchers alike to avoid these common pitfalls.

In her book, Robin outlines the steps for conducting an oral history interview, detailed the information available on FamilySearch, and suggested resources for researching ancestors in different regions. She also stressed the importance of telling your own family history and shared insider knowledge that even expert researchers often forget about.

Finally, she provided helpful tips on obtaining permission to use photos you find during your research.

From Robin:

I love to teach people how to do their family history. I wrote this book to try to give my patrons another way to find historical records after they talk to living relatives. They all want some of the things I included below:

Why Would You Want to Trace Family History?

Everyone has special reasons for the efforts they make to learn more about their family history. Do any of the following reasons resonate with you?

• I want to learn about our ancestors. For some, their family was never discussed while growing up. Others are trying to make connections because they never knew a parent or grandparent.
• I want to be able to share my history with my children. So many have committed to finding, preserving, and sharing family history with future generations because they feel a moral obligation to do so.
• I love discovery; it is a fun thing to do. You may have begun researching because you love the hunt, and you are curious about what you may uncover.
• I want to understand more about myself. Do you suspect that some of the qualities that make you who you are can be attributed to an ancestor? Do you wonder which decisions they made concerning education, where to live, or employment had the most effect on your life? Do family members say you remind them of an ancestor?
• I want to learn about the place where my ancestor lived. It is wonderful to pass on the traditions that your ancestor brought from their native land.
• I want to know about the challenges my ancestors faced. Did you grow up hearing family stories about the war or depression that made you want to know more about how your ancestor was impacted? Delving into the past helps you to understand more about how they handled struggles.
• I am looking for living relatives. Some researchers are looking to connect with living descendants to discover what they can share about ancestors. They invite the newly discovered to family reunions and share stories and photographs.