The Year Ahead – July 22

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

July 22– Consult the FamilySearch Wiki’s letter-writing guides www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Category:Letter_Writing_Guides to help you contact relatives and archives in other countries.

I decided to check out the German Letter Writing Guide to see what it has. It explains the basic outline of a letter. Something I was taught in school, however many schools don’t teach this anymore, so for younger generations, this is very important. It explains how to handle payments, using translations, checking for email. However, if you need to send a physical letter out, how to address the envelope, foreign countries are a little different. You will need to visit the post office for the proper postage. It has the translation for greetings, dates, introductions, biographical information, genealogy requests, referral request and more. Plus, it even has a sample letter.

Remember when requesting information, be precise, give as much information as you know and keep the request simple to one or two items.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!