What is the most common beginner mistake in genealogy?

Accepting an online tree as a source. Copied trees propagate the same unverified link for decades. Use them as a pointer to a record, never as the evidence itself.

Why is same-name matching so dangerous?

Because naming was patterned, not random: sons were named after fathers and grandfathers, and a parish could hold several men of the same name and age. Identity needs a second anchor — a parent, a spouse, an occupation, an address.

How do I avoid impossible dates in my tree?

Check each new person against simple rules: no child born before a parent turned about fourteen or after a mother turned about fifty, no marriage before puberty, no event after a death. Most bad links break one of these immediately.

Should I record sources even for facts I am sure about?

Yes, especially those. Certainty fades: in two years you will not remember whether a birth year came from a certificate or from an aunt, and unsourced certainty is what turns a good tree into a tree nobody can audit.

Is it a mistake to research only the male line?

It is a costly one. Maternal lines carry maiden names, dispensation records, godparent links and inheritance documents, and they are frequently where a stalled paternal line finds its next document.

How should I handle records I cannot read?

Do not skip them and do not guess. Run them through transcription, compare the output with the image, and ask a regional-palaeography community for the words that stay unclear. A skipped record is usually the one that mattered.

Why does my research keep going in circles?

Usually because it is not written down. Without a log of what you searched, where and with what terms, you re-run the same queries; a one-line note per session is what turns repetition into progress.

When should I accept that a line is finished?

When the records that would extend it demonstrably no longer exist — a register burnt, a parish dissolved — rather than when you have run out of ideas. The second case is a pause, and new digitisation arrives constantly.

Vestigee — Avoiding Common Mistakes | Blog

Pitfalls to avoid when starting your research