I learned early on from author Marsha Hoffman Rising that there is a difference between searching and researching. Genealogists should always search for research that’s been done by someone else. So far that’s proven to be very good advice. If the other researcher did their homework and it’s well documented, it’s much easier to verify the same information and you’re not starting from scratch.

I’ve grown accustomed to finding my mother’s “fingerprints” all over the Internet when searching for research about family members. Invariably, I’ll find a question or information she posted on a genealogy forum years ago about the same person I’m researching. Many times, she’s answered someone else’s question. I’ve even come across other researchers citing information she shared with them.

Case in point, just this week, I stumbled upon the Fiegenbaum family genealogical website searching for an Utlaut 2nd great grandmother. And there she was – Sophia Fredericka Brundieck – along with my mother, Norma Trantham, whose name appeared five times in the source citations.

Typically, I don’t learn anything new as I have most of mom’s work and I thought I’d done a thorough job of reviewing it. Not so. Mom had given this website’s owner a few tidbits of information I missed, revealing the names of a sister and brother-in-law I didn’t know existed.

Thanks, Mom.

Kenfolk: Utlauts
Relation: Mother
Common ancestors: Probably half of them

References:
Rising, M. H. (2011). The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-and-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors (Rev. ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree Books.