Following is an excerpt from Marc McDermott's recent posting at the GenealogyExplained blog. His great advice is titled "The Sideways Strategies Most Family Historians Miss":

“…Once you identify your great-grandparents, stop going backward.

Instead, work sideways.

Track down the descendants of their siblings—your grand aunts and uncles and their children.

Map out the cousin lines.

Why?

Because living relatives possess what dead ancestors cannot give you: context, stories, photos, and artifacts that bring your family history to life.

This is how you transform genealogy from a sterile collection of facts into a vibrant family narrative.

This strategy comes with urgency built in.

Your dead ancestors will always be there. The records aren’t going anywhere.

But your cousins? They’re getting older every day..."

Read the entire article here.