By Linda Bergren Polich. Are you using timelines in your family history research? They can be a great tool to help you write the story of your ancestors.
Your timeline should start with the birth date of your ancestor, and include each detail of your ancestor’s life … residence, occupation, education, etc.
If you have entered these facts into your genealogy software (like RootsMagic or Family Tree Maker), those programs will print out a useful timeline. The more facts you enter into the program, the better the report you will get.
When you have completed the timeline using the genealogy software, save it into a spreadsheet format like Excel. That way you can insert additional facts as needed.
One interesting aspect of using timelines is that you can add historical context and events. Sometimes seeing when these events occurred might help understand why your ancestor left the homeland or migrated from one state to another after arriving in America.
If you are compiling a family history book, be sure to include a timeline at the beginning of each ancestor’s chapter. It will serve as a sort of outline of the information you are including.
By seeing your ancestor’s life in outline form, you can sometimes see where you need more research – maybe there is a gap in the chronology that you need to check out.
We always need to add to our “genealogy toolbox” – and a timeline is certainly a good addition!
Happy Researching!
