{"id":12064,"date":"2026-11-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/?p=12064"},"modified":"2026-11-06T15:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T14:26:09","slug":"genealogy-research-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/genealogy-research-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan a Genealogy Research Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every genealogist knows the feeling. You sit down to look for one ancestor and, an hour later, you have opened fifteen browser tabs, followed three unrelated leads and found an interesting record that has nothing to do with the person you started with.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes those detours lead to useful discoveries. Often, they simply consume time.<\/p>\n<p>A genealogy research plan helps you stay focused. It gives you a clear question to answer, identifies what you already know, and directs you towards the records most likely to provide new evidence. It also helps you recognize when a search has reached a dead end, and another approach is needed.<\/p>\n<p>The aim is not to plan every move in advance. Genealogy rarely works that way. The aim is to make deliberate choices instead of searching at random. The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) recommends starting with a focused question and consulting relevant sources in a logical order, while staying flexible as new information emerges (Board for Certification of Genealogists [BCG], n.d.).<\/p>\n<h2>1. Start with a question, not a person<\/h2>\n<p>A common research goal is too broad to be useful.<\/p>\n<p>You might want to learn more about your great-grandmother, find out where your family came from, or discover the parents of an ancestor. These are reasonable ambitions, but they do not tell you what to do first.<\/p>\n<p>A research question should identify the person or family and specify the information you need to establish.<\/p>\n<p>Consider the difference between these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Too broad:<\/strong> Who were the parents of my great-grandfather?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Better:<\/strong> Who were the parents of Ole Olsen, who married Kari Larsdatter in 1848?<\/li>\n<li><strong>More useful:<\/strong> Can I identify the baptism of Ole Olsen, who married Kari Larsdatter in 1848, and establish his birth date and parents from contemporary records?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The third question gives you a starting point. You have a known event, a name and a specific goal. You can now identify records that might answer the question.<\/p>\n<p>A good research question should be focused enough to guide a search but broad enough to allow for an unexpected answer. The BCG&#8217;s standards emphasise that research questions must be specific and capable of being tested against the available evidence (BCG, n.d.).<\/p>\n<p>You do not need a complicated question. One or two sentences will usually do.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Write down what you already know<\/h2>\n<p>Before searching for anything new, gather the evidence you already have.<\/p>\n<p>Look at your genealogy software, research notes, downloaded records and previous searches. You may have more information than you remember. You may also discover that a fact in your family tree has no source attached to it.<\/p>\n<p>Separate established information from assumptions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you might have:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A marriage record naming Ole Olsen and Kari Larsdatter.<\/li>\n<li>A census entry giving Ole&#8217;s approximate age and place of residence.<\/li>\n<li>A farm name associated with the family.<\/li>\n<li>A later record identifying Ole&#8217;s occupation.<\/li>\n<li>An unsourced birth year copied from another family tree.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These items do not carry equal weight. An original marriage register may provide direct evidence about the marriage, while an unsourced online tree may simply repeat an earlier guess.<\/p>\n<p>Record the source of each fact and what it actually says. Do not quietly turn an estimate into an exact date or treat a likely identification as a proven one.<\/p>\n<p>The distinction matters because genealogy is not just about collecting information. It is about evaluating the information and deciding what it establishes. The BCG&#8217;s standards emphasise careful documentation, source evaluation and sound reasoning from evidence (BCG, n.d.).<\/p>\n<h2>3. Identify what is missing<\/h2>\n<p>Once you have listed the known facts, ask yourself what you still need to establish.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose your research question concerns the baptism of Ole Olsen. You know that he married in 1848 and that the marriage record gives his age as 27. That suggests he was born around 1820 or 1821, depending on his birthday and the date of the marriage.<\/p>\n<p>But several details remain uncertain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>His exact birth or baptism date.<\/li>\n<li>The parish where the baptism took place.<\/li>\n<li>His parents&#8217; names.<\/li>\n<li>Whether the farm name in the marriage record identifies his birthplace, his residence or another association.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are separate questions. They may require different sources.<\/p>\n<p>The marriage record might provide the best clue to his age and residence. A census may narrow the likely birth period. A baptism register could identify his parents. If the baptism cannot be found, other records may help establish his identity.<\/p>\n<p>Write down the missing information before you begin searching. Otherwise, it is easy to spend time collecting facts that do not help answer the original question.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Choose sources that can answer the question<\/h2>\n<p>Not every source is equally useful for every research problem.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking for a baptism, a parish register is an obvious place to start. If you need to establish where a family lived, a census or land record may be more useful. If you are trying to identify a deceased person&#8217;s heirs, probate records may provide evidence that other sources do not.<\/p>\n<p>The important question is not simply, &#8220;Where can I search?&#8221; It is, &#8220;Which record is most likely to provide the evidence I need?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Norwegian genealogy, the likely sources depend on the period and location. They may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Church books containing baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials.<\/li>\n<li>Census records.<\/li>\n<li>Moving-in and moving-out registers.<\/li>\n<li>Probate records.<\/li>\n<li>Farm and property records.<\/li>\n<li>Local histories and <em>bygdeb\u00f8ker<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Historical maps and administrative records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Begin with the sources most directly connected to your question. A contemporary record of the event will often be more useful than a later account, although the value of any source depends on its origin, purpose and the information it contains.<\/p>\n<p>The BCG recommends prioritising relevant sources and arranging searches in a logical sequence rather than compiling a long, undirected list (BCG, n.d.). A research plan can begin with just one or two sources and expand as the evidence develops.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Work out the geographical and historical context<\/h2>\n<p>Norwegian genealogy presents a particular challenge: the place where an ancestor lived may be recorded under a historical name or an administrative unit that no longer exists.<\/p>\n<p>Before searching, establish the likely parish and the period you need to cover. A farm name alone may not be enough. Several Norwegian farms can share the same name, and the parish or municipality may have changed.<\/p>\n<p>Check the spelling used in the original record and consider historical variations. If you are unsure which parish covered a place at a particular date, consult historical maps, place-name references and administrative guides.<\/p>\n<p>My article <a href=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/norwegian-administrative-divisions\/\">Norwegian Administrative Divisions: A Guide for Genealogy Research<\/a> explains the relationship between farms, parishes, <em>prestegjeld<\/em>, municipalities, <em>herred<\/em>, <em>fogderi<\/em> and <em>amt<\/em>. My guide <a href=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/find-norwegian-place-names\/\">Find Norwegian Place Names<\/a> covers the practical task of identifying Norwegian farms and historical place names.<\/p>\n<p>This step can save considerable time. Searching the wrong parish may produce no result even when the record survives.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Put the searches in a sensible order<\/h2>\n<p>Once you know the question, the evidence you already have and the likely sources, decide what to search first.<\/p>\n<p>Start with the source that is most likely to answer the question directly and is reasonably easy to access. Then use the result to determine the next step.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a marriage record may provide the groom&#8217;s age, residence and father&#8217;s name. Those details can help narrow the search in the baptism register. If the baptism is not found, a census or another contemporary record may help establish the likely birth period or place.<\/p>\n<p>Do not search every database simply because it is available. Each search should have a purpose.<\/p>\n<p>A useful plan might contain four columns:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Planned search<\/th>\n<th>Why it matters<\/th>\n<th>What to look for<\/th>\n<th>Next step<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Re-examine the marriage record<\/td>\n<td>Establish the groom&#8217;s age and residence<\/td>\n<td>Age, farm, father, witnesses<\/td>\n<td>Define the likely birth period<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Search the relevant baptism register<\/td>\n<td>Locate the baptism<\/td>\n<td>Name, parents, date, residence<\/td>\n<td>Compare the entry with other evidence<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Check a suitable census<\/td>\n<td>Narrow the search and identify the household<\/td>\n<td>Age, family members, residence<\/td>\n<td>Test the candidate&#8217;s identity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Investigate another parish if needed<\/td>\n<td>Allow for migration or boundary changes<\/td>\n<td>Matching family and place details<\/td>\n<td>Expand or redirect the search<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>This is a starting plan, not a contract. If the first record gives you a precise birthplace, you may not need the other searches. If it contradicts your assumptions, you may need to change direction.<\/p>\n<p>Effective research planning depends on both preparation and flexibility (BCG, n.d.).<\/p>\n<h2>7. A worked example: finding a Norwegian ancestor&#8217;s baptism<\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s work through a fictional example.<\/p>\n<p>Ole Olsen married Kari Larsdatter in a Norwegian parish in 1848. The marriage record gives Ole&#8217;s age as 27. A family tree lists his birth year as 1821, but no source is attached to that date.<\/p>\n<p>The goal is to locate his baptism and establish his parents.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 1: Define the question<\/h3>\n<p>The research question is:<\/p>\n<p><em>Can I identify the baptism of Ole Olsen, who married Kari Larsdatter in 1848, and establish his birth date and parents from contemporary records?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is specific enough to guide the search. It also leaves room for the possibility that the family tree&#8217;s birth year is wrong.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Record the known information<\/h3>\n<p>The starting evidence is:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Information<\/th>\n<th>Current status<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Name<\/td>\n<td>Ole Olsen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Marriage<\/td>\n<td>1848, according to the marriage record<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Age at marriage<\/td>\n<td>27, according to the marriage record<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Estimated birth period<\/td>\n<td>Around 1820\u20131821<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Parents<\/td>\n<td>Not yet established<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Birthplace<\/td>\n<td>Not yet established<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Birth year in family tree<\/td>\n<td>1821, currently unsupported<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The estimated birth period is a guide, not a proven date. Ole may have been born in late 1820 or in 1821, depending on the marriage date and whether the age was recorded accurately.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Examine the marriage record again<\/h3>\n<p>Before searching the baptism registers, inspect the original marriage entry carefully.<\/p>\n<p>Does it give a farm name or residence for Ole? Does it name his father? Are there details about his age, occupation or status that help distinguish him from other men named Ole Olsen?<\/p>\n<p>Suppose the record identifies a farm and names Ole&#8217;s father as Ole Andersen. That gives you a new clue. You now have a possible father&#8217;s name and a geographical starting point.<\/p>\n<p>Record the details and cite the original record so you can return to it later.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 4: Search the most likely baptism register<\/h3>\n<p>Use the parish identified in the marriage record as your starting point. If the record suggests a residence outside that parish, check whether the farm belonged to another parish at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Search the baptism register for a suitable period around 1820\u20131821. Look for Ole Olsen, a father named Ole Andersen, and any matching farm or household details.<\/p>\n<p>Do not reject an entry merely because the spelling differs slightly. Historical handwriting and spelling variation can complicate searches, and an index may not reproduce the original entry exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose you find two possible baptisms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One for Ole Olsen, son of Ole Andersen, baptised in 1820.<\/li>\n<li>Another for Ole Olsen, son of Ole Olsen, baptised in 1821.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The first candidate matches the father&#8217;s name found in the marriage record. That makes it promising, but it does not yet prove that this is the correct Ole.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 5: Compare the candidates with other records<\/h3>\n<p>Before accepting the first candidate, look for evidence that connects him to the man who married Kari Larsdatter.<\/p>\n<p>A suitable census entry may help establish age, residence and family relationships. A confirmation record may provide another link between a child and a household. Farm records may help distinguish the two families.<\/p>\n<p>The evidence should fit together. A matching name alone is not enough, particularly when patronymics such as Olsen were common.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose the first candidate later appears in a confirmation register with a residence consistent with the farm named in the marriage record. That strengthens the identification. If the second candidate appears to have remained in another district, the evidence may favour the first.<\/p>\n<p>You must still consider whether the records are complete and whether another person could fit the same details.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 6: Update the genealogy research plan<\/h3>\n<p>At this point, you have learned more than you knew at the beginning. Your plan should reflect that.<\/p>\n<p>If the first candidate is supported by several independent details, the next step may be to investigate the household and look for further evidence of the relationship.<\/p>\n<p>If the evidence conflicts, you may need to widen the search or examine additional sources.<\/p>\n<p>If neither candidate fits, do not force a conclusion. Reconsider the age recorded at marriage, check neighbouring parishes and allow for the possibility that the assumed birth year is wrong.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of a research plan is to guide your decisions, not to make the evidence fit your expectations.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 7: Record the result<\/h3>\n<p>Your research log should show what you searched, what you found and what the result means.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p><em>Search:<\/em> Baptism register for the relevant parish, 1820\u20131821.<\/p>\n<p><em>Result:<\/em> Two possible entries found. One names Ole Andersen as the father and appears to match the father&#8217;s name in the marriage record.<\/p>\n<p><em>Assessment:<\/em> The first candidate is promising but needs further corroboration.<\/p>\n<p><em>Next action:<\/em> Compare the candidate with confirmation and census records, and investigate the farm named in the marriage entry.<\/p>\n<p>This is a useful result even if you have not yet proved the identity. You have narrowed the search, documented the evidence and identified the next step.<\/p>\n<p>The example illustrates the method rather than a real historical finding. The records and people are fictional.<\/p>\n<h2>8. Keep a research log<\/h2>\n<p>A genealogy research plan tells you what you intend to do. A research log records what you actually did.<\/p>\n<p>The two work together. Without a log, you may repeat searches, forget why you rejected a candidate or lose track of a promising clue.<\/p>\n<p>For each search, record:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The date of the search.<\/li>\n<li>The research question.<\/li>\n<li>The archive, database or record series consulted.<\/li>\n<li>The name, date range, parish or other search terms used.<\/li>\n<li>The result, including a negative result.<\/li>\n<li>The source citation or link to the record.<\/li>\n<li>Your assessment of the evidence.<\/li>\n<li>The next action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A negative search is worth recording. If you have checked the relevant baptism register for 1820\u20131821 and found no suitable entry, note that result and the limits of the search. You can then decide whether to widen the date range, check another parish or investigate a different source.<\/p>\n<p>A research log also helps you distinguish between a search that produced no result and a search you have not yet carried out.<\/p>\n<p>For a practical way to record this information, see my <a href=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/a-good-research-log-is-an-old-tradition-the-spreadsheet-im-sharing-here-is-simply-a-way-to-bring-that-same-careful-methodical-habit-into-a-digital-format-thats-easy-to-search-fi\/\">Genealogy Research Planner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>9. Know when to change direction<\/h2>\n<p>Research plans should change when the evidence gives you a reason to change them.<\/p>\n<p>You may discover that the ancestor lived in a different parish, that the recorded age was inaccurate, or that the person you were investigating was not the individual you thought. New evidence can make an earlier search unnecessary or reveal a more promising source.<\/p>\n<p>Review your plan after each significant discovery.<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Has the new evidence answered the original question?<\/li>\n<li>Does it support or contradict the current hypothesis?<\/li>\n<li>Have I overlooked another person with the same name?<\/li>\n<li>Is there a more direct source I should consult?<\/li>\n<li>What is the most useful next search?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sometimes the best decision is to stop. You may have answered the question sufficiently for your present purpose, or you may have exhausted the reasonable sources available to you. Record what remains unresolved and why.<\/p>\n<p>The BCG&#8217;s Genealogical Proof Standard calls for reasonably exhaustive research, complete source citations, careful analysis, resolution of conflicting evidence and a sound written conclusion (BCG, n.d.). These principles help you judge whether the evidence supports an answer rather than simply whether you have found a plausible candidate.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>A genealogy research plan does not need to be complicated. Start with a clear question, write down what you know, identify the missing evidence and choose the sources most likely to help. Search in a logical order, record the results and adjust the plan when new information appears.<\/p>\n<p>The most important habit is to give every search a purpose. Before opening another database, ask yourself what you hope to learn and how the answer will help you resolve the question.<\/p>\n<p>You will still make unexpected discoveries. That is part of the pleasure of genealogy. But with a plan and a research log, you are less likely to spend an afternoon searching for an ancestor who was never in the parish you started with.<\/p>\n<h2>References<\/h2>\n<p>Board for Certification of Genealogists. (n.d.). <em>Ethics and standards<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcgcertification.org\/ethics-standards\">https:\/\/www.bcgcertification.org\/ethics-standards<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Board for Certification of Genealogists. (n.d.). <em>Skillbuilding: Planning effective research<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/bcgcertification.org\/skillbuilding-planning-effective-research\">https:\/\/bcgcertification.org\/skillbuilding-planning-effective-research<\/a><\/p>\n<p>FamilySearch. (n.d.). <em>Building a research plan<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/en\/help\/helpcenter\/lessons\/12a-building-a-research-plan\">https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/en\/help\/helpcenter\/lessons\/12a-building-a-research-plan<\/a><\/p>\n<p>FamilySearch. (n.d.). <em>A research plan in action<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/en\/help\/helpcenter\/lessons\/12b-a-research-plan-in-action\">https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\/en\/help\/helpcenter\/lessons\/12b-a-research-plan-in-action<\/a><\/p>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><strong><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12148\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/genealogy-research-plan\/sketches-of-ordinary-lives1-kopi-webp\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp?fit=401%2C602&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"401,602\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp?fit=401%2C602&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12148\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp?resize=200%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sketches-of-Ordinary-Lives1-kopi.webp?w=401&amp;ssl=1 401w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>My book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Sketches-Ordinary-Lives-Norwegian-1718-1905\/dp\/B0HJ4VKJML\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sketches of Ordinary Lives: Norwegian Lives 1718\u20131905<\/a> is now available on Amazon<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>What were the lives of ordinary Norwegians really like?<\/p>\n<p><em>Sketches of Ordinary Lives<\/em> takes readers back to Norway between 1718 and 1905, introducing them to the people who lived, loved, worked, struggled and dreamed long before our time. Through a collection of historical stories, the book brings everyday people out of the shadows of history and gives them a voice.<\/p>\n<p>Each story is followed by a <span class=\"a-text-bold\">Behind the Scene<\/span> note: the book\u2019s second voice, laying out what in the scene is documented fact and what belongs to the writing, and pointing readers toward the books, archives, and museums where they can go deeper.<\/p>\n<p>These are not stories of kings, heroes or great historical figures. They are stories of ordinary men and women whose lives were shaped by their families, their communities, their circumstances and the times in which they lived.<\/p>\n<p>A glimpse into Norway\u2019s past, told through the lives of the people who made its history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every genealogist knows the feeling. You sit down to look for one ancestor and, an hour later, you have opened<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","video_url":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_bluesky_share_type":"default","_mastodon_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"","timeOption":"","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":""},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[161,160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-planning-research-logs","category-research-workflow-the-practical-side-of-genealogy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.6 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - 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We all have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Friday finds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Friday finds","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/friday-finds\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Norwegian genealogy blogs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fredagsfunn-ved-fjorden-kopi.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fredagsfunn-ved-fjorden-kopi.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fredagsfunn-ved-fjorden-kopi.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8869,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/explore-various-sources-for-genealogy-research\/","url_meta":{"origin":12064,"position":4},"title":"Exploring Genealogy: Essential Sources for Tracing Your Family History","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"October 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In this article, we\u2019ll explore various sources for genealogy research, including online databases, archives, and community resources. Before you start focusing on Norwegian sources, you may need to do a bit of work in your native country. Here are some resources that may be useful for you. 1. Online Genealogy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Getting started \/ Your first steps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Getting started \/ Your first steps","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/starting-with-genealogy\/getting-started-your-first-steps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/zAmWtfWoUU.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/zAmWtfWoUU.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/zAmWtfWoUU.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/zAmWtfWoUU.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4959,"url":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/friday-finds-week-35-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":12064,"position":5},"title":"Friday finds: Week 35 -2017","author":"Martin Roe Eidhammer","date":"September 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are som websites I have visited this week There\u2019s no better use of your time than telling the story of the families that mean most to you.\u00a0Lisa Louise Cooke in the Genealogy Gems website\u00a0claims that \"Every single one has a story, and I can\u2019t think of a better person\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life in general......&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life in general......","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/category\/life-in-general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/blog-769737_640-e1460417312114.jpg?fit=440%2C311&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Slektsforskningsplan-i-norsk-bygdemiljo-kopi.jpg?fit=558%2C372&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12064"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12175,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12064\/revisions\/12175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}