Top 10 Genealogy Mistakes to Avoid

This is fairly basic, but many people new to genealogy research have trouble spelling the word genealogy. There are several ways that people spell the word, the most common being "geneology" with geneaology coming in a close second. A more exhaustive list will include almost every variation: geneology, geneaology, genlogy, geniology, etc. This may not seem as if it is a big deal, but if you wish to appear professional when you are posting queries or want people to take your family history research seriously, you will need to learn how to spell the word genealogy correctly.

Here is a silly memory tool that I came up with to help you remember the correct order for the vowels in the word genealogy:

Genealogists Evidently Needing Endless Ancestors Look Obsessively in Grave Yards

GENEALOGY

Too silly for you? Mark Howells has an excellent mnemonic for the word on his Web site.

Kimberly Powell, About.com's Genealogy Guide since 2000, is a professional genealogist and the author of "Everything Family Tree, 2nd Edition." Click here for more information on Kimberly Powell.