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| Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log |research log]]. | | Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log |research log]]. |
| == What Do I Do Next? == | | == What Do I Do Next? == |
| === I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? === | | === I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? === |
| *Add any new information to your records | | *Add any new information to your records |
| *Use the age to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records for the person and other family members | | *If available, check the image for additional information |
| *Use the information to find the person or family in prior census records | | *Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family |
| *Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
| | === I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now? === |
| *Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
| | *The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name |
| *The probate record may contain an inventory of personal property, and a list of who received the property
| | *Try searching by surname only |
| *Check for siblings, especially women, to determine if they married
| | *Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century |
| *[[South Africa Church Records|Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900
| | === Research Helps === |
| ===I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?=== | | The following articles will help you in your research for your family in [[South Africa Genealogy|South Africa]]. |
| *Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Civil Registration records or Church Records may be more useful | | *[[South Africa Record Finder]] |
| *Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
| | *[[South Africa Finding Town of Origin]] |
| *Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name | |
| *Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation | |
| *Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well
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| *Search the indexes and records of [[South Africa Societies|local genealogical societies]]
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| *Try different ways of searching the collection. For example, fill in just the given name or the surname. This will return a list of everyone with that name so you can browse through options
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| *Be aware that there may have been some transcription errors | |
| === Record Finder ===
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| Consult the [[South Africa Record Finder]] to find other records
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| == Citing This Collection == | | == Citing This Collection == |