Should I Be More Focused in My Research?

Confession: I am not the most focused of researchers. There I have said it. I tend to research a family line that a get a shaky leaf on, find a document about or research in new record set that gets released or whatever strikes my fancy. I would call my research a little willy-nilly.

I know, I know, I should do it better, organize, make a plan. So far that hasn’t worked for me or my schedule but there is something to be said for F O C U S I N G.

I recently decided to write about the Jeffery family, so I broke my blog posts into a series about the children of Robert Jeffery and Elizabeth Tipper. Great, focus, a plan, a lot of reviewing of my research, it was great. And then it happened, a huge breakthrough! I have been at this for a few years, new surnames being added to my direct line does not happen every day, and then it happened.

While reviewing and checking my records I went on the Genealogie Quebec website that I learned a lot about while attending the Ontario Genealogy Conference in Ottawa from speaker and blogger Gail Dever‘s ahhhmazing session. I don’t read or speak french so I was sure this site wasn’t for me. My family weren’t part of those early Quebec families (ya a little jealous) so again I was dismissive. I was so completely and utterly wrong. I won’t explain all the fantastic things about this genealogy site but let me tell you if you have ancestors in Quebec you really should check it out.

Back to my story.

One search, all it took was one search…I put in the surname Tipper in the search field and two results came up. Two!!

I already knew about John & Catherine Taylor’s marriage but the first one was the ‘pot of gold’. You see I knew that Elizabeth Tipper’s parents were John Tipper and Gertrude ________   but I wasn’t able to find out dear Gertrude’s last name. My heart was thumping so fast and I clicked the link. JACKPOT!

Cudlip, yup that’s the name I had been looking for – C U D L I P, what a name! I love it, best   name   ever!!!  My 4th great grandmother has a name, Gertrude Cudlip, and yes, I cried. I said the name over and over in my head Gertrude Cudlip, Gertrude Cudlip, Gertrude Cudlip like a mantra, I didn’t want to stop. I had found her. (Am I the only one that gets this weird?)

I hurried to add this new wonderful name to my tree and waited to see what would pop up for hints, I felt there must be a huge Cudlip family in Quebec just waiting to be found, right? Nope, nadda, nothing, I thought Tipper was a rare name.

I did some research on the name and discovered it could be spelled Cudlipp, Cutlip, etc., and was most prevent in Devonshire, England but there does not seem to be too many of them. And where they are hiding in 1795, Quebec City I would surely like to know.

I guess genealogy isn’t a sprint it is more like a marathon…

Back to my original question, should I be more focused when I research, well if I am not ‘in focus’ then what am I? I think we all know the answer to that. I am not promising anything but with these results my motivation has increased a hundredfold to do a little more planning in my research.

Oh and BTW if you have Cudlip in your tree give me a shout!