Should I enter more family members or add better sources for those already entered who are lacking?

Question

Not having the time or energy to do a lot of research, I'm not sure whether I should look for more ancestors or find more sources on the ones I have found.  I have all the names & most of the dates & locations for all my ancestors thru my 2x ggp.  Then I run into an illegitimate male as 3x ggf on one branch & an immigrant from Germany on another branch.  Even after DNA testing, the unknown has not been discovered.

Would you suggest going with adding more names or more research on the ones I aready have?  Just as important, why is that more helpful for me and others?

Comments

Thank you for all the helpful hints.  I guess my best bet is to continue what I've been doing ... a little bit of both depending on how the mood hits me.  It just seems at times that I'm running in circles, but that might be all the exercise I get some days.

Answer 1

I too have wondered this in the past, when doing my own tree - from my own experience this is my advice.

1. Don't just keep adding people with minimal bio and one source, intending to come back later to add the rest of the information you have - I did this at first and ended up with so many half done profiles I was so confused about which ones I had/hadn't fixed up

2. Don't try to add everything to every profile one by one - I tried this too, and found it really hard work, as I made so little progress each time I felt quite exhausted and discouraged. I thought I would never meet my expectations.

Conclusions:

* Mix it up, do a bit of each - you will feel more satisfied with your progress, without sacrificing quality too much

* Just add 5 - 10 profiles at a time with bare bones, then flesh each of these out with all the details and sources you have at hand, before adding any more  new profiles

* Every now and then pick 1 or 2 existing profiles to improve to the best of your abilities (and access to sources) - review the profile, check for errors, and do some research to see if you can fill any gaps or add extra info. New sources often become available, and you will find you get better at writing bios with experience. You will feel very pleased with yourself when you see the result!

Best Wishes and good luck with your WikiTree experience

Christine

Comments

My focus is to add more people to the global tree. However for each person added I exhaust all the hints that Ancestry shows and also check Find My Past and FamilySearch where needed. I don't plan to revisit these profiles once created unless something is discovered while doing research on others.

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P.S. I also find it helpful to use the "Scratch Pad" (on your Home Page) to make notes to remind yourself of any specific issues or profiles you need/want to work on when you have more time.

Christine

Answer 2

It is up to you. As long as you have one source. The more sources you have, the more likely it will be clearer to future researchers, and they don't confuse the profile with someone else.

If you decide to add more users, the beauty of Wikitree is what you start, which can be edited and improved by others. So both have a benefit.

Answer 3

I doubt if there's an official "school solution" to that question, Suellen, and I don't think the choices are necessarily mutually exclusive.  You never know what you might find when you're looking through old records.  If you have sources yet to be investigated where there is a reasonable expectation of finding more data, I say go for it, whether it promises more names or more info on known ancestors.  If you find yourself banging your head against the wall and feeling like you're not making any progress, then try something different.  After all, the hobby is supposed to be enjoyable and give you a sense of accomplishment when you find something new.  Only you know if what you're doing is satisfying.

Answer 4

A Wikitree profile is really only as good as its’ sources.  Way too many people create profiles and think they’ll come back later and add sources but they never do.  This is your chance to make sure your profiles are well-sourced (which may help you to expand your part of the tree) and useful to others.

Answer 5

Yes -

Do both.