By Kathie M. Donahue, AG
copyright 2009
When using Message Boards and Mailing Lists online, it’s important to understand that your readers need to know details about your research problem or question (query). Following are instructions for writing queries. If you follow these instructions, you will have greater and more appropriate responses to your queries.
REMEMBER: You will be consulting people who are experts in their fields and very busy. An incomplete or improperly written query will probably garner a “sorry, no information” answer from most other experts. However, I am dedicated to teaching genealogy as well as answering questions in my area of interest, so, do, please, keep a copy of this instruction and consult it when you make your next request for information.
REMEMBER: In writing your query, answer the following questions, so far as you are able. If the information you have is uncertain, follow it with a question mark (?).
If you have no information about a detail, place a blank area in the query ( _______ ).
Abbreviate: birth (b), marriage (m) and death (d). If you have to list more than one marriage write them (m1), (m2), etc.
-YOUR QUERY SHOULD ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS-
1. Who is the person you want to find information about (if a female, give her maiden name, or, if none is known, explain)?
2. When and where was this person born (b), where and when did he die (d), where and when did he marry (m)?
3. Who did this person marry? Where did this person marry?
4. Who were the children that resulted from the marriage (b, d, m) and what were the names of their spouses (no further information needed for the children’s spouses unless there is some pertinent reason to add more)?
5. Who were the parents (b,d,m) of the person on whom you are focusing (question #1)? Where and when did they live and die, etc?
6. Who were the siblings (brothers and sisters) (b,d,m) of the person on whom you are focusing (question #1)? Where and when did they live and die, etc?
7. With what tribe(s) do you think your focus person was associated?
8. Why do you think your focus person was Indian (physical characteristics, family story, Indian name, proximity to tribes, etc.)?
-TO PREPARE AND USE YOUR QUERY-
Write your query in a word processor (answering ALL of the questions), select and copy it onto your clip board; then go out on the web and look for places to deposit it. As long as you don’t use your copy command on anything else, it will remain in memory.
All you need to do to insert it is to click on the place where you want it to go, and click on “paste”. Simple, huh?
BE SURE TO PLACE YOUR SURNAME(S) AND PLACENAMES IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE QUERY SO READERS CAN FIND THEM QUICKLY.
