What Are Ancestry Pro Tools?
Have you heard of Ancestry Pro Tools? In this post, you will learn what these tools are and how you can best use them to help with your family tree and DNA match research.
Family Tree Research
One of the best ways to start off with your family tree research is through conducting interviews with your known family members. If you are just getting started with your family tree, or you want to start getting serious and organized in your research, this is a great idea for you.
The goal of a Family Tree Research Interview is to learn as much as you can about your relatives. When I first got started in genealogy, I thought I could just say, “Hey mom, tell me about your family”. It turns out that this question won't get you far.
The more specific, thought-provoking, and thoughtful your questions are, the more likely you are to get really interesting, new information from your relatives. A conversation-style interview is likely to trigger old memories, stories, and thoughts that have never been shared with you before.
How to do a Family History Interview
- The first step is to have a plan of the type of questions that you plan to ask, and how you would like the interview to flow. I like to start off with simple biographical questions, and then move on to more introspective, personal questions.
- Second, make sure you take lots of notes.
- Third, be respectful of your relative's time. Not everyone loves family research as much as we do, so we want to be considerate. You can even conduct your interview in more than one conversation.
I have made a Family Interview Worksheet specifically for helping my readers talk to their families in order to learn as much as they can.
Helpful Posts on Family Tree Research:
9 Ways to Connect With the Culture of Your Ancestors
Are you interested in putting your knowledge of your family history to use to connect with your ancestors’ culture? In this post, find several ways to expand your connection with the cultures your ancestors called their own. If you have read other articles on my website, then you know that most of the information on …
How to Find Immigration Records From the 1800s
Are you interested in finding immigration records for your ancestor from the 1800s? In this post, learn what you need to know to find these records, including where to look. If you can find immigration records about your ancestor, it is often a goldmine. These records can help us learn a lot more about our …
Close DNA Match: How to Figure Out Your Relationship
Do you have a close DNA match with whom you would like to figure out your relationship? In this post, learn some strategies that you can use to find out how you are related to those closer DNA matches. It might seem like it should be very easy to figure out how a close DNA …
How to Use Relative Finder with FamilySearch
Did you know that you can use the free Relative Finder tool to quickly find out how you are related to friends or even famous people? In this post, learn how the tool works and how to get started using it. I first used Relative Finder because my child asked me if I thought we …
What is the Furthest Anyone Has Traced Their Ancestry?
Do you ever wonder how far back the furthest family tree goes? In this post, learn the furthest verified case that anyone has been able to trace their ancestry.
Who Owns Your Family Story?
Have you ever wondered who owns your family story, and which boundaries, if any, should limit your family tree research? In this post, find a discussion about who has the right to tangible and intangible aspects of a family’s history. Most people who have dabbled in genealogy know that not everyone in their family loves …
Can AI Help With Genealogy Research?
With all of the talk about AI, you might wonder if you can use it for your genealogy research. In this post, find out whether you can put this new technology to work on your family tree.
What is Negative Evidence in Genealogy?
Have you heard of negative evidence in genealogy? In this post, learn what this term means, as well as how you can use and document negative evidence in your family tree research. Family tree research can sometimes be difficult. We are searching for records and documents related to people who lived long ago, often without …
What Are Ancestry Pro Tools?
Have you heard of Ancestry Pro Tools? In this post, learn more details about this set of features, how much they cost, and how they might help you with your family tree. When I first saw the Pro Tools features, I wasn’t sure if they would be something that I could use. Even though I …