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Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc.

 Guide to Genealogical Correspondence
 by Sharon L. Brevoort

Fact finding can be done on location at a courthouse, library or archive, or by visiting relatives and descendants of ancestors. More commonly we communicate with them by letter or email. No matter how you go about gathering information, it pays to do it carefully, to treat others with courtesy and respect, to make new friends, and generally to act as your own PR agent. Because the effects of misinformation and poor communication ripple through time and may come back to haunt you, it is important to take enough time to do it right. In this day of instant Internet communication, it is also important take the same care with your email as you do with your letters.

Most of the recommendations that appear below are based on the advice provided in Everton's Handbook for Genealogical Correspondence, to date the definitive guide on the subject. Some tips come from genealogists and genealogy columnists, and a few are based on my own experiences. Some apply to letters requesting documents, others to correspondence with individuals, and some to both. I leave it to you to determine which.

The Handbook for Genealogical Correspondence is now over 25 years old. Even though it predates the computer age, its basic principles have withstood the test of time. Some topics from the book not covered here include the formalities of letter construction, layout styles (block and modified block), common titles and their corresponding salutations, the use and value of maps in correspondence, and specific tips for finding and writing to various types of correspondents.

This guide is intended to be used with its companion, the Bibliography of Handy Genealogy References.
Choosing How and When to Write
  • Write carefully when you are rested, awake, and alert.
  • Write carefully when you are not in a hurry or pressed for time.
  • Reread what you've written a day later, from the recipient's point of view. Is it easily understood? What might they read or misread between the lines? Will it be understood when someone else comes across it years from now?
  • If complex, ask someone else to be your "second pair of eyes."
Including Salutations, Closings, Names, Dates, and Contact Information
  • When writing to a clerk or librarian, the salutation should address both men and women. Examples: "Dear Madam or Sir:", "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:", "Dear Friends:", "To Whom It May Concern:"
  • The closing should be kept simple and in keeping with the formality or informality of the letter. Examples of a formal closing: "Yours truly," "Very truly yours," "Respectfully yours,". Examples of an informal closing: "Sincerely," "Sincerely yours," "Faithfully yours,".
  • Refer to individuals by their full names.
  • Give dates in the format "dd month yyyy" except in transcriptions. Example: 01 January 2001.
  • Your contact information includes your full name, email address, and street address, and may include your phone number.
  • Your email signature should include your contact information: your full name, email address, and street address (or at least city and state), and may include your phone number and a short one-line sentence summarizing your area of interest.
  • Every letter, every chart, and every page of enclosure should contain the date and your contact information on front or on back.
Following the Seven Cs of Correspondence (Plus One)
  • CLEAN in appearance.
 Keep it neat to make a good first impression.
A typed or printed letter is easier to read.
A short handwritten note is more personal.
Use each appropriately.
  • CORRECT in composition.
 Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure.
  • CLEAR in expression.
 Ask intelligent questions.
Make it easy to read and easy to answer.
  • COURTEOUS in manner.
 Let your words show that you are friendly, respectful, and cooperative.
Use "please" and "thank you".
Express appreciation without demanding.
  • CONSIDERATE in tone.
 Be friendly and cordial.
Avoid or soften negative or critical comments.
Use tact and diplomacy in dealing with discrepancies.
  • CONCISE in wording.
 Keep it short, simple, direct, purposeful, and sincere.
Most letters should be no more than a single page.
When writing to a clerk, there is usually no need to mention your relationship to the individuals or that you are asking for the purpose of genealogy or family history.
  • COMPLETE in thought.
 Give enough information, but not too much.
Include names, dates (dd month yy), and places.
If a date is approximate, say so.
Include parents' names when ordering birth certificates.
For clerks, include the residence and names of spouse or children only if needed to uniquely identify an individual.
  • CHEERFUL in outlook.
 Convey your enthusiasm in a pleasant and optimistic way.
When writing to a potential relative, always sound positive and happy to include the person as part of your extended family.
Sharing Information
  • Inclusively refer to our ancestors and our family history instead of my and mine.
  • Offer to share information in return.
  • Enclose a pedigree or family group sheet, but not with the first letter to a possible relative.
  • A pedigree chart should only list information in which you have confidence.
  • A family group sheet should include your sources.
  • Highlight names or surnames of particular interest.
  • List all enclosures at the end of your letter. Example:
     Enc.
    Pedigree of <person 1 name>
    Family Group Sheet for <name>
    Birth certificate for <name>
    Obituary of <name>, typed copy
Adding Interest

Keep your letters interesting to maximize enjoyment and to inspire others to help willingly. Even a public official can enjoy some of these extra touches if the body of the letter remains concise.
  • EXTRAS: When writing to possible relatives, you may get a better response if you add some interesting facts or stories, or send a rough draft or a simplified version of your work, to show that you are a serious, results-oriented researcher.
  • FORM LETTERS: In general, avoid using form letters. Exceptions might include the request for social security records using the SSDI.
  • GRAPHICS: Add graphics, scanned images, or a photocopy of an ancestor's picture, used as a letterhead or in the body of the letter.
  • POSTCARDS: Create thank-you note cards or postcards on your PC using an ancestor's scanned or photocopied picture or an interesting graphic image.
  • LETTERHEAD: Create an attractive letterhead layout in your word-processor to add a professional look.
  • STAMPS: Use commemorative stamps. After genealogy, stamp collecting is the next most favorite U.S. hobby.
  • STICKERS: Place a sticker on the back of the envelope or use a rubber stamp decoration.
Checking Accuracy
  • Proofread for correct names, dates, and places.
  • Find the right contact person, office, and address using:
    • specialized directories at public and university libraries such as the American Library Directory
    • The Genealogist’s Address Book or The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book
    • County Courthouse Book
    • Ancestry's Red Book, The Handy Book, The Source, Long-Distance Genealogy
    • the repository's online website
  • Check county boundaries.
    • Atlas of Historical County Boundaries by J. H. Long and P. T. Sinko
    • Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 by W. Thorndale and W. Dollarhide
    • AniMap County Boundary Historical Atlas from The Gold Bug
  • Check dates for when recordkeeping began.
    • County Courthouse Book
    • Ancestry's Red Book
    • The Handy Book
    • the repository's online website
  • For vital records, look for printed and online forms and instructions.
    • International Vital Records Handbook
    • Documents of Our Ancestors
    • the repository's online website
  • Check sources as needed to determine who holds the records you want now.
Asking Questions
  • Ask only one to three direct, well-defined, specific requests in a single letter.
  • Ask for only one to three related documents in a single letter.
  • Make reasonable requests that the recipient may be able to answer.
  • Make the question stand out from the body of the letter to make it easy to refer back to without rereading. This can be done with bold letters, indentation and spacing, or highlighting.
  • When writing to an individual, list questions both in the body of the letter and on a separate sheet of paper with space enough to answer.
  • Include as a postscript "Please feel free to respond on the bottom or back of this letter."
  • Ask for evidence.
  • Ask if anyone else might have some information, and if so, how to contact them.
Making Payment
  • Offer to pay for copies of records, postage, and insurance.
  • Ask for a cost estimate.
  • Set a limit, if you have one. Example: "If the cost is $20 or less, and if it is possible, please send me a copy and bill me."
  • If cost is not a consideration, say so. This works particularly well when requesting pension records from the National Archives. Example: "Please copy everything in the file. I will gladly pay any extra cost involved. Thank you."
  • Send money by check, money order, or international money order, never cash.
  • To reimburse for postage only, send stamps.
  • Determine fees or policies of researchers or institutions before sending money.
  • Check online to see if fees are published.
  • A public institution will send instructions, or you can look for a website.
  • Include a small donation when writing to churches or non-profit organizations.
  • Include a donation when writing to genealogical and historical societies unless there is a set fee for research. Consider becoming a member as a kind of donation.
  • For international correspondence, enclose two International Reply Coupons, check locality research guides for the author's recommendations, or ask through an online mailing list, newsletter, or WorldGenWeb site.
  • See Cyndi's List: Correspondence for links on postage, payments, and worldwide postal services.
Enclosing an SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope)
  • Always enclose an SASE except to a federal agency.
  • An SASE is not required when you are enclosing payment that covers postage.
  • Use a long No. 10 envelope folded in thirds, or a No. 9 that fits within a No. 10.
  • Enclose a second stamp with your letter if you expect to receive more than four pages in return.
  • You will be more likely to get a response from some non-federal institutions if you enclose an SASE.
  • For international correspondence, enclose a self-addressed envelope and two International Reply Coupons (IRC). For air mail, ask at the post office how many IRCs to enclose; it depends on the country.
Writing Thank-you Notes
  • To a clerk:
    • End any request letter with "Thank you in advance for your time and consideration."
    • Send a thank-you whenever a clerk is especially helpful.

  • To an individual:
    • End your letter with "Thank you in advance for taking time to help me."
    • Acknowledge a reply with a thank-you note.
    • Enclose an SASE "to keep on hand in case you come across something more for me later on."
    • Enclose a copy of any promised research notes.
    • For a special correspondent, send an appropriate gift.
      • a box of candy or nuts
      • a personalized item
      • a small handcrafted item you made
      • a small gift from your home town or home state
      (This works on courthouse trips as well. One of our local genealogists always takes a box of donuts with her to grease the wheels.)
Keeping a Correspondence Log
  • Keep one or more logs by surname, geographical area, or an individual's name.
  • Use a standard form or use your spreadsheet software.
    • Use a standard form, such as the ones from Duane Bailey and Ancestry.
    • Create an Excel spreadsheet to sort by date, addressee, surname, response, or any combination. Include columns for date sent, addressee, regarding (Last, First MI), purpose (record type or question), date received, date of follow-up, payments, comments, and/or file location.
  • Update the log regularly.
  • Be patient.
  • Send a followup letter in six months if you don't hear back.
  • Keep an address book spreadsheet with each correspondent's name, address, phone and fax numbers, spouses and children's names, email address, URL for home page, and surname(s) of interest.
Organizing Your Correspondence
  • Keep a hard copy of every letter, note, and form in your file.
  • For telephone calls, write yourself a note to file with your correspondence. Include the date, name, phone number, and address of the caller, and the information gleaned.
  • Keep a "PENDING" folder of correspondence in progress, a "CLOSED" folder of correspondence to be filed.
Streamlining the Process
  • BASIC INFO: Keep a small file containing the essential information on the people you are actively researching. Cut and paste from this file as needed.
  • LABELS: Print or purchase address labels to place on the back of enclosures. Example:
     <full name>, <email address>
    <street address>
    <city, state, zip>
  • PHONE BOOKS: Check your local library or purchase a phone book for the town or county of particular interest.
  • POSTCARDS: Keep standard sized postcards on hand to write a quick thank-you. At 20 cents, they're a bargain. Better yet, generate interesting postcards with your PC and printer.
  • SASEs: Make a big batch of SASEs with your word-processor to keep handy.
  • SCALE: Keep a small, accurate postal scale on hand to weigh envelopes that contain more than four pages.
  • STAMPS: Keep a supply of commemorative stamps on hand.
  • TEMPLATES: Create template letters. Just change the date, address, and details as needed.
    • letter of inquiry to an individual (examples in Handbook, Croom, Request Family Information, Request Reunion Information)
    • interview letter to an individual (examples in Croom, Sample Questionnaire)
    • response to a query or letter of inquiry (example in Handbook)
    • letter of inquiry to a religious leader or recordkeeper (example in Handbook)
    • letter of inquiry to an archive or library (examples in Handbook, Request Specific Information, Request General Information)
    • letter of inquiry to a courthouse (example in Croom)
    • letter of inquiry to a genealogical or historical society (example in Handbook)
    • query to be published in a periodical (examples in Handbook, Croom)
    • request for a vital record or obituary (example in Handbook, Writing Rite Done Right)
    • request for a will or probate records - "testate or intestate probate proceedings" (example in Handbook)
    • request for a land record or deed
    • freedom of information letter (FOI Letter Generator)
Caveats
  • Be careful about exchanging GEDCOMs. It may be better to print the relevant portions of a pedigree, ahnentafel, or descendants chart.
  • Eliminate information about living persons.
  • Edit the output from your computer program by post-processing with your word-processor.
Answering Inquiries From Others
  • Answer queries online or in genealogical periodicals with any clues you can offer.
  • If the questions are open-ended, ask them to be more specific.
  • If they include none of their own information, disregard the letter.
  • If they are unwilling to use their first name, disregard the letter.
Sources See also Bibliography of Handy Genealogy Resources.
Elements of an inquiry to a relative (Robert Chesbro)
1. Explain who you are and tell how you are related.
2. Explain how you found them.
3. Describe your interest in researching "our" family genealogy.
4. Politely ask if they are willing to share any information about their branch of the family.
5. State exactly what details you are looking for.
6. Offer to send a copy of your research to date.
7. Thank them for any information they are willing to share to make your project complete.
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Copyright © 2001-2007, Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Inc. All rights reserved.
Permission to print a single copy for personal use is granted.
Designed by S. Brevoort. Revised 15 October 2007. Send comments or changes to Sharon at wwwgswc@aol.com.
Images © GSWC