52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 – Week 15: Big Mistake

NOTE: I accepted the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge headed by fellow genealogy blogger Amy Johnson Crow. The idea behind this challenge is that you will receive email prompts, a word or phrase, every week, and you find something about your research or family history to write about.  Click HERE to read my first 52 Ancestors blog post in 2019.

I have been researching since 2011, and I’m a creature of habit in almost everything I do. My family research is not expectation. I typically use the same databases, websites, collections, and research techniques that I am most familiar with when I’m researching. Sometimes what I think is a brick wall is really my lack of venturing out of my comfort zone, and that can lead me to an all too familiar genealogy rut and frustration.

Sometimes my biggest mistake is not utilizing the information that I learn about when I attend genealogy conferences like RootsTech. I go to sessions to learn about new genealogy databases, collections, research techniques, and innovations. But I come home and nine times out of ten, I use the same research techniques and databases that I always use. I don’t actually use what I learned about until I am frustrated beyond belief in my research.

I know this about myself and have made a conscious effort this year to actually incorporate what I learned at RootsTech this year into my everyday research. So wish me luck and check in with me at the end of the year to see if this is still the case.