Research Plan

As I participate in the Genealogy Do-Over I am recreating my database for several reasons:

1) Merging the multiple databases back into one massive file.

As time went on, I was finding I was frequently having to do 'see references' as there was more cross-covers of branches than I thought I would fine. 

2) Correcting/improving source citations.

Many of my citations are from the old FamilyTreeMaker files imported into RootsMagic and were in a free-form format rather than a more appropriate template.  And no information included.


To ensure better citations, I am re-doing the research.  Now that all available census for Canada, US and England are now available on Ancestry, I can search in one spot for the lifespan of each individual.  By starting with census searches for an individual, it provides information as to the parents and siblings as well as age.  If the birth falls during the time period covered by Ontario Births, search for the individual, as well as marriage and death.

When a marriage is confirmed, the birth and census records for the spouse will need to be searched.  Census records of the couple will provide names for children.  Birth, marriage and death records for those children will need to be searched.

If an individual or family "disappear" from Ontario, check the US census records as many people migrated from Ontario to various areas of the United States.  This would lead to checking records available for that state, as well as military and SSDI.

If an individual/family migrated from Ontario to the Canadian west, they should still be found in Canadian census, including the special 1906 and 1916 censuses done in the Prairies (but not British Columbia).  Many of the provinical archives BDM records are now available via Ancestry, so there may not been the need to check the various archives online records.

If census and BMD records not located on Ancestry, check FamilySearch as well as sites bookmarked.  And then google.

It is recommended that Research Logs be used to document where and what one searches.  But records change so quickly on the internet, I don't see a problem with repeating a search at a later date.

Personally, I don't see the need to maintain a Research Log documenting what I do find as the information is immediately entered in the database.  Using split screens when checking for online records, data is entered into Rootsmagic on the spot as well as cut/pasting transcriptions or saving and linking digital images.

More forma Research Plans will need to be developed come the time I venture out to physical repositories.  But for now the plan is in my head with evaluations being done of the fly.