Tika squirmed and stretched in the spring sun and even yawned when I was attempting to teach her about using timelines in family history. "But they are so important," I said. Another yawn. "Why?" she finally said. So I explained, using her short little life as an example:
A timeline is a way to establishing an accurate depiction of an ancestor's past. By employing a timeline, we see where they lived, when they lived there, and by deduction we might can learn why they were living there. Also using a timeline helps us "plug in" dates to organize the life of that ancestor to give you clues and ideas of where to look next for what record. So here is Tika's example:
Age..............Date............... ....... Event.................................Source
0 1 8 Sep 2008 She was born Her papers
6wk 21 Oct 2008 Placed at NW Pet Shop Her papers
6wk 23 Oct 2008 Adopted by Donna! Pet store receipt
6mo 3 Mar 2009 Visit the vet for spaying Vet receipt
1 Jul 2010 "Sister" dog, Dolly, adopted Her papers
2 17 Aug 2010 Visit the vet for eating bad bones Vet receipt
3 Sep 2011 Stayed with Gramma Kay Our travel diary
4 Mar 2012 Stayed with Gramma Kay Our travel diary
4 1/2 Feb 2013 Visit the vet for teeth cleaning Vet receipt
Yes, this is quite simplistic but hopefully you get the idea. There are dozens of ideas on the hows and whys of keeping timelines but this simple formula has always worked well for me.
When I work on a timeline for an ancestor I always include every date/place/fact for everybody in the family for everybody can be placed in a family and we go through life with our families. I believe in using timelines!
By the end of the lesson, Tika was fast asleep in the spring sun.
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