For the past 3 years, I’ve been using my version of 52 Ancestors to keep my from being overwhelmed and to make noticable progress. After 12 years of genealogy research, converting gedcoms from different platforms, and early indiscriminate adding of hints, my source citations had been a mess.
Previously when I had a free moment, I would use random.org to generate a number that I could match to an ancestor’s ahnentafel number.
Continue reading 2019 Goal Achieved
Stepping away from your genealogy can bring inspiration, perspective, and connection. Take quick breaks each hour or longer breaks if you’ve been cooped up for a while.
Let me know what you think about this Genealogy Tip video. Share your feedback at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F82HTLX.
#genealogy #family history
It was a productive year. My favorite goal this year was my version of 52 Ancestors. I was inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”
I needed a systematic way to work through my gedcom file. I have been working from the same file since I started building the tree in 2003. After moving between several genealogy file management systems, my sources were junky, incomplete, or non-existent on earlier added profiles. Locations were not uniform. And, somehow the notes had duplicated multiple times. I didn’t know where to start. When I looked at the full file, I was overwhelmed. Continue reading 2018 Goal Achieved
Today’s a great day to access genealogy instructional videos through NARA’s virtual genealogy fair.
Visit https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair to view the agenda or go straight to their YouTube channel to watch the current session live. https://www.youtube.com/user/usnationalarchives
If you can’t join the sessions live, the recordings to this year’s sessions will be available through the YouTube channel.
If you can’t get enough information, check out the recordings from previous five years of Virtual Genealogy Fairs.
#genfair2018 #genealogy #WenesdayWisdom
The holidays are a great time to catch up with family. You can share the research you’ve done and listen to the family stories that put the research in context.
Scan and share old photos.
You can show how family members and the holiday celebration has changed over the years. You can share photos of family members that everyone hasn’t seen in years.
This year I scanned slides my father had gotten from his father. Since my parents never had a slide projector, we never saw these images growing up. I used an adapter that we had for our older Epson scanner. Continue reading Holiday Conversations
Stepping away from the details of work can give you a new perspective.
Yesterday, that moment of joy was watching the eclipse with family. My husband and I are lucky enough that he has family in southern Illinois, an area that experienced totality. Just the event itself inspired and awed me. Experiencing it with several generations made it even more special. We ate moon pies and sun chips. We had our official glasses, but made pinhole cameras from a shoebox and sheets of paper (used separately). We also expanded the light show with a colander and a mirror (also used separately). Continue reading Take a Break
Inspiration comes from the strangest places.
Over the weekend, I was reading a mystery book that had nothing to do with genealogy. I then read the line, “People live on in the stories we tell about them.”(1)
I stopped. And, thought, “This was it. This is the reason I do genealogy.”
Our Ancestors live through our stories. Family stories are selective and many times don’t tell the full story. Genealogical research helps us build the true stories of our ancestors and find those ancestors that are missing.
Through collecting and analyzing information we can remember all our ancestors, from the famous to the farmers.
(1) Cleland, Jane K. 2016. Glow of Death. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. p 43
#ThursdayThoughts #AncestorStories
