# Setting a goal

You will soon realize that the genealogist's work is exponential and can go in all directions.

So you will have to set yourself limits if you want to do a quality work.

The following points are only examples of choices to be made to delimit a research perimeter that can be achieved in a lifetime.

## Whose genealogy?

Define whose genealogy will be developed:

- Yours
- Your wife's
- Your family's, starting with your children or grand children
- That of a close relative
- A friend's.

## Over how many generations?

Define the number of generations to be identified:

- All the way back to the great-grandparents
- Back to Independence day, the French revolution, the first English settlers, back to William Shakespeare birth, etc.
- Back to the Middle Age or William the Conqueror

## Which branches?

Define branches to be identified:

- All
- Paternal lineage only
- Maternal lineage
- Specific ones

## What descendants?

Define from which ancestors you wish to identify descendants and cousins :

- From the highest ancestor found
- From Great-grandparents
- From all ancestors found

## What level of detail?

Define the level of detail to be obtained for each individual

- According to its generation
- Systematically have the sources of all acts
- Only Birth, Marriage, Death
- The maximum number of events