The following article is taken from The COUSIN FINDER Directory, Vol. 1, 1985,
compiled by Maxine BEAR ROBERTS, and is used on DYNASTY BBS by permission of
the author.


"GENEALOGICAL CORRESPONDENCE -

Making It Work For You"


One of the most enjoyable and expeditious ways of performing your genealogical
research--certainly the most economical--is through correspondence.  Most
people find varying degrees of success in the pursuit of familial data through
the prolific writing of letters, and even those who are unable to accumulate
much data in this way usually find rewards in other aspects of the endeavor. 
The establishment of new relationships or the recultivation of old ones brings
unexpected and indescribable gratification.

Attention to a few simple rules of genealogical correspondence etiquette will
bring more satisfying results.  Here are ten basic rules for your
consideration.

1. Use large envelopes (No. 10) for your letters.  Be sure to affix adequate
        postage.

2. Always include a SASE (Self Addressed, Stamped Envelope) with your intial
    letter and subsequent ones, unless you told not to do so.  This SASE should
    be a No. 9 size envelope.  It does not need to be folded to fit into the
    No. 10 envelopes, resulting in a less bulky, more attractive, and more
    business-like mailing piece.  If you expect many pages of text to be
    returned to you, enclose a second stamp for your respondent to use, should
    it be necessary.

3. Rarely--almost never--use a small, personal-size envelope for inquiries. 
    They are acceptable, however, for your acknowledgments: thank you's.

4.  Be brief.  In your contacts with officials, ask only one question in any
    letter and explain only the facts absolutely necessary to get your answer. 
    Brevity is the rule also in your intital contacts with potential "cousins".
    You may establish a "chatty" relationship later on, if both of you seemed
    so inclined.  If you do, incidentally, it is likely to turn into a most
    rewarding relationship.  Many opportunities to travel to ancestral
    localities have resulted from these relationships.

5.  Write only when your mind, body, and eyes are fresh.  Write carefully. 
    Write carefully.  Write carefully.  (Say it again!)  We ALWAYS do, right? 
    WRONG?  Usually, in our haste to get a letter completed or to catch the
    mail delivery that day, we are not nearly careful enough.  Avoid
    strikeovers, both typed and hand written.  YOU may know what it says, but
    the reader has two guesses, either of which may be the wrong one. 
    Strikeovers are the most dangerous when dates are involved.  (Listen to
    Your Old Cousin & Editor now, she knows!)    Keep in mind your initial
    letter is your introduction.  It will set the stage, probably permanently,
    for your future relationship. 

6.  Label all pages, charts, envelopes, etc., with your name and address.  It
    is wise to date them, also. 

7.  Be a "Giver" as well as a "Taker".  Offer--and mean it--to exchange data. 
    Answer queries you see in genealogical publications with any answers or
    clues you can offer.  Don't just sit there and wait for your queries to be
    answered.  "What goes 'round, comes 'round," Your Cousin & Editor always
    says.

8.  Include payment, if you know the cost, of copying, etc., or make it clear
    you will reimburse for it promptly.  Then do so, promptly.

9.  Procrastinate (Did I say that?  Yes!) overnight.  Reread your letter the
    day after you write it.  If it says what you thought it said and is easily
    read and understood, mail it.  It is prudent, if possible, to ask someone
    who is unfamiliar with the subject to read it.  If that person understands
    you, it is likely that your intended recipient will, also.

10. Acknowledge--always--and promptly--any response you receive, whether or not
    that response has brought the desired results.  You may wish to include
    another SASE with your acknowledgment, asking that your contact keep it in
    his files in case he should come across something for you later on.  Always
    reimburse postage for any reply whatsoever.


Further Suggestions

Those are ten basic rules.  Here are five further suggestions:

a.  You may wish to write your question on the upper half of a sheet of paper,
    leaving the lower half for the response.  Anything you can do to make the
    action easier for your reader is advisable.  If you suspect your contact
    may want to keep your letter for his files, include a carbon copy with the
    original.  He can then keep whichever he needs, or he can return both to
    you.  (Your Editor & Cousin hates carbon paper but loves "carbon sets". 
    Investigate this neat way of making copies, or use some type of "no carbon
    required [NCR]" sets.

b.  Some people like to say "If you have no information for me, won't you
    please drop my SASE in the mail.  Thay way I'll know you did receive and
    consider my request," or words to that effect.  (Your Editor & Cousin
    doesn't like that; it makes it too easy for the contact to ignore your
    letter.  Maybe he's not feeling well that day, or busy, and it's a way to
    get rid of one piece of mail.  I say "Let it sit there on his desk and
    haunt him day after day until he decides to answer it!")

c.  Advertise that you will perform research in your local area records in
    exchange for research in another area where your interest lies.

d.  For special favors, where payment is not expected to compensate for value
    received, send a personalized or localized gift.  Products indigenous to
    your locale and sometimes easily acquired are often highly valued in
    another area.  A small item handcrafted by you demonstrates your special
    gratitude.


e.  You've spent a lot of time and thought on putting your letter together. 
    Now, let's get someone to read it.  Draw attention to it in clever ways.  A
    neatly addressed envelope is a must, of course, but you can individualize
    it to separate it from the rest of the bunch.  Use colorful postage stamps
    appropriate to the subject.  Use other "stick-ons" on the back of the
    envelope, or use rubber stamp designs.  This is not recommended for
    business letters to public officials, but it may bring some enjoyment to
    your "cousin" contacts.

                                   ****

*************************************************************************
***  This information has been provided by DYNASTY BBS (916) 685-8690 ***
***  For more public domain genealogical software, data, and queries, ***
***  set your modem to 8/N/1 300, 1200 OR 2400 and call DYNASTY BBS!  ***
*************************************************************************
