Genealogy involves a surprising amount of waiting for other people. This sheet keeps track of what you asked for and whether it ever turned up.

What it holds

At the top: surname, ancestor name, and their date range with birth and death. Then, for each request: the date sent, who you sent it to and their address, and your objective — what you were actually hoping to get.

Underneath each request is a date received and response line, so a letter and its reply live together instead of in two different piles.

When to use it

Any time you write to an archive, a county clerk, a church, a cemetery office, or a cousin you found online. If money changed hands, note that in the objective line too.

Try it

One statement in each set describes good practice. The others each fail for a different reason.