Motivation Monday - The Grades Are In!

At the start of December, I listed my goals for the month ~ a great idea of some savvy bloggers mentioned in my previous post.  Keeping in mind that December would be a busy month with travel, preparing for the holidays and such, I kept the expectations realistic.

• I blogged three out of the four weeks & commented on blogs and Google+ posts on an almost daily basis.  Google+ is an excellent discussion board for genealogists.  There are so many thoughtful and interesting posts and I am "finding" many new-to-me genealogists to follow.  The immediate give and take on Google+ is something I don't experience with my blog, so I appreciate the sense of community and helpful comments and tips.   
• I cleaned up my Legacy genealogy database ~ including:
• the master surnames list
• the master locations list
• the master sources list
• I reviewed my 2011 genealogy goals as well as what I accomplished this year.  Now it is time to grade myself:
• Data Entry (inputting records from my Newfoundland Research Trip)  Grade = C
• I continue to work on this research data entry project but it is slow going and will take more time than originally planned.  This is a project to put on my list for 2012.
• Organization (spending one hour each week) going through both my paper and computer files  to be better organized in 2012.  Grade = B
• I got through a great deal of paper (scanning, shredding, and recycling).  I am slowly moving in the direction of having most of my genealogy on my computer (with backups).
• Working Smarter Not Harder = Overall Grade B+
• Research Logs ~ I started using Legacy's To-Do lists and kept track of the results (both positive and negative).  The more I used the To-Do lists the easier it became and the more useful they were.  [I was quite jealous when I saw the RootsMagic 5 Research Log and am hoping for this improvement in Legacy Family Tree]    Grade = A-
• Sources ~ I am happy to say that I have converted and cleaned up all of my master sources.  I finally came up with a system that works for me and keeps my sources consistent.  It involves becoming a confirmed "lumper" and learning to use the Sourcewriter templates (and some cheat sheets) to my advantage.  Grade = A
• Data Entry ~ I made a conscious effort this year to clean up my data entry so that it would be clear and consistent.  Since my database is not as large as most others, I decided to focus on records I already had and made sure my downloaded copies and scans were correctly named, legible and transcribed or abstracted. I started with the various census entries, moved on to military registrations and enlistments, continued with immigration records, naturalization records, and finished up the year with all my Swedish Church records.  There are additional classes of records to get through but I have made significant headway.  Working on this project took time away from new research BUT it was worthwhile as it gave me an opportunity to take a second look at all my records, spend time analyzing them, and oftentimes I found new or overlooked information.  Grade = B+
• Back Ups ~ I was very good this year backing up my data and thank Thomas MacEntee for his monthly reminders!  The peace of mind backing up my data gives me is priceless.  Grade = A
• Learning Legacy ~ I spent about five hours each month learning how to do more with my Legacy database program.  I reread the Legacy manual, re-watched the Legacy training CDs, attended Legacy webinars, and used the Legacy User's Forum to learn more about Legacy and how to make it do what I want and need.  Grade = B+  
• What did I learn how to do?  
• manipulate the sentence structure in fact/event sentences,
• use the search capabilities find particular people, events, and time frames,
• use global search and replace to clean up my database, and 
• make good use of  research guidance (together with a stand alone program GenSmarts) to come up with research plans and research logs.  
• Using Facebook and Social Media ~ I have not taken advantage of Facebook as much as I should for corresponding with family and extended family.  So many people are on Facebook but I do not find the conversation on Facebook as interesting or immediate as that on Google+.  Since lots of family and extended family are on Facebook, I need to work on making better use of it in 2012.  I started using Google+ when it was first offered by invitation and I love it!  It is incredibly intuitive to me ~ I like the Stream, Circles, and the ability to interact and post and/or read others' posts in one place.  I hope that 2012 brings lots of genealogy Hangouts!  Grade = B-

Overall my grade this year is "not bad but needs improvement."  Stay tuned as I will post later this week about my goals for 2012.  

So how did you do on your 2011 resolutions and what are your goals for 2012?

DigitalArt at FreeDigitalPhotos ~ Thanks

Happy 4th Quarter 2011! - My (Continuing) New Year's Resolutions

I am closing in on the final quarter of the year (almost finished with this year-long organization project!!).  As the weather turns crisp and Autumn is in full swing, I am indoors more and it is time to focus on indoor activities.  Now is the perfect time to finish that paper organization, spend a few hours at the local library or archives, and plan those Thanksgiving and Christmas cards.  I am also wondering if there any way I can interest my extended family in a bit of our family history? 

In that spirit and with a little toasty warm mead to inspire me, these are my goals for the fourth quarter of 2011 ~

1. I resolve to send out my "October is Family History Month" letter to my extended family and ask them to take a look at their immediate family's group sheet and provide me with corrections and additions. I will find one member of each affiliated family who will be my go-between or family resource for additional research.
2. I resolve to transcribe the student stories I acquired while in Newfoundland so that I have a better understanding of the life and times of those in the Bonavista Bay region.  I will share the Christmas traditions in Newfoundland in my Christmas Card blog.
3. I resolve to continue to work smarter, not harder, in 2011 ~~
• Plan - In light of the results of my previous research plans, I need to decide where my my research focus should be and chart the next three months of my research plan (a bit like a treasure hunt) ~ I continue to use my Legacy program and GenSmarts program for research guidance.
• Document - Using a research log has almost become second nature to me.  I use a combination of paper (which I scan into my computer) and  my computer research log which works perfectly for me!
• Source - Sourcing continues to be an ongoing process.  I enter the source citation at the beginning of my review of any item (film, book, newspaper, etc.) as this really makes me stop and think about the source - how it should look, how it came about, where it might lead me, and the weight to place on it.  Evidence Explained and Worldcat.org are my go to citation bibles. It takes time (sometimes I have to spend some serious thinking skills working through a source) and it is not the "fun part" of genealogy.  I have found getting my sources right the first time is the mandatory part of this process and it makes me a better and more thorough researcher. 
• Location - I make a point of checking out the repository at the beginning of my research visit.  If I am going to a library or other research facility, I make a note of their webpage, their online (or in person) card catalog, I cite to the repository as a location in my genealogy database and I make sure to include all those notes in my Legacy program. In the future, I know where I got the information from, something about the repository, and I have a ready reference.
• Quality Control - This is another ongoing process! I have made myself a checklist for quality control.  This checklist helps me cut down on errors and I have learned that by giving myself a half hour at the end of the research day (and before the repository closes) I am able to process my work and know that I won't be asking myself those embarrassing questions later - What is this? Where did I get it? Why did I copy, scan or note this? Which individual in my tree does this go with?
• Data Entry – I have to continually remember to pull back from the "thrill of the hunt" and enter the information into my databases.  This means entering it into my Legacy program, my Excel worksheets, my Creative Memories Memory Manager program and filing the paper copies and computer copies as appropriate.
• Protect – Backing up my computer continues to be the single most important thing I can do on a regular basis to protect my work.  It has become a good habit and second nature to me.  I back up my genealogy files every week - Sundays at 8:00 am, no fail. I have heard too many horror stories of years of research that has been lost because of this one simple mistake. 
4. Most importantly, I resolve to keep a positive attitude, be ready to learn and ready to help others both in my genealogy life and my real life. 

So, as we head into the last quarter of the year, how are you doing with your genealogy resolutions and what goals have you reached this year?

Happy 3rd Quarter 2011! - My (Continuing) NewYear's Resolutions

thanks FreePhotos.net

Well it is summertime (finally)!  Who wants to be indoors working on their genealogy files?  This is the time for trips to cemeteries, family get-togethers and vacations.  I am half-way through the year (although I am not quite half-way through my genealogy goals).  It's time for lemonade and a few more varied tasks.  So, these are my resolutions for the third quarter of 2011 ~

1. I resolve to correspond regularly with extended family members/genealogists about our research-to-date in order to confirm, deny, and supplement our individual research and hopefully encourage these same family members to put our proven data in an on-line semi-private format for our collective use and to connect with other extended family members (make use of Ancestry’s member connect, Rootsweb’s member connect and GrandBank’s member forum).
2. I resolve to blog on a regular basis (at least once a week) about the status of my family research, any research trips, and how I am doing with my resolutions! 
3. I resolve to continue working smarter, not harder, in 2011 – This is a continuing effort:

• Source - Continue working through my source citations.  This is a never-ending project but I have it down to three main tasks: clean up current sources in my Legacy program, draft a source citation for all new items before I work with them (film, book, newspaper, etc.), check my source citations against Evidence Explained, the FamilySearch Wiki, and Worldcat.org.
• Data Entry – Put it all together by entering it into my Legacy program, my Excel worksheets, my Creative Memories Memory Manager program and filing as appropriate.
• Protect – Continue backing up my computer on a regular basis – just do it!

How do the genealogy bloggers out there keep up with other bloggers, post regularly and find time to get their own research done?  If you have any tips or hints, please share them.

Happy 2nd Quarter 2011! (My Continuing New Year's Resolutions)

(Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net ~ Photo by Francesco Marino)

Early morning ruminating about my genealogy resolutions with my favorite beverage, coffee with cream.  While I continue working through my first quarter resolutions, I decided to add a few more resolutions for the second quarter of 2011, here they are ~

1. I resolve to keep up my correspondence with the individuals I met in the Bonavista Bay region of Newfoundland.  I need a simple method to encourage them help fill in the blanks on my research so we can group families in the Plate Cove area.
2. I resolve to make use of the Plate Cove Facebook page and use email or snail mail as necessary to follow up on these contacts for extended family members from the Plate Cove area.
3. I resolve to continue working smarter, not harder, in 2011 – This continues to be a work in progress but I know it will make my life easier in the long run.  This quarter I will focus on the following three areas:
• Document - Use a research log each and every day for the second quarter of 2011.  I am using the research log but it is not second nature yet and I am still working on the format.  How do others use paper and pen and/or the computer to log their research?
• Source - Work on cleaning up my sources (these are ones that were entered haphazardly or before I became best friends with Evidence Explained) and strive toward consistency as far as sourcing is concerned.  This is quite a time-consuming but very necessary task and I have decided to tackle a dozen sources a week until I get them cleaned up.
• Protect – Backup my computer on a regular basis –  I purchased two external hard drives for my notebook and have set up a formal backup system: 
• On the first hard drive I have a complete backup (on a monthly basis) of
• the C drive of my notebook computer,
• my Creative Memories' Memory Manager libraries [the family library which consists of all our family slides and photographs which were professionally scanned (onto DVDs) and my library which consists of all my personal photographs as well as all photographs and scans taken of all my genealogy research],
• all my genealogy files, and
• all my Legacy program files
• On the second hard drive I have backups (on a weekly basis) of
• my Creative Memories' Memory Manager libraries, and
• all my Legacy program files 
• I attended Thomas MacEntee's webinar on data backup on March 23.  His presentation was really informative and reminded me how important it is to take the time to safeguard my work. 
• our genealogy research data is an investment ~ how much time, effort and cost has gone into your research?  What would you do if you lost it all tomorrow?  Would you be able to recreate it?  Why put yourself in that position?
• make a plan for safeguarding your data
• use a combination of backup methods
• be sure to backup not only all your data, but also your favorites or bookmarks, your settings, your email, and your blog or website
• use your calendar to remind you of your backup schedule
• keep it simple and do it! 
• be sure to check out Thomas MacEntee's website at www.geneabloggers.com

So far, so good.  These resolutions are continuing in nature but I take time every week and focus on a particular aspect of my genealogy and work through it.  I hope that by the end of the year, my computer files, paper files, and genealogy database (Legacy Family Tree) will all be clean and shinny like a new penny and that the fruit of my labor (this year-long organization project) is scads of time for research and writing! 

How are you doing with your genealogy goals this year?  How do you organize your computer files, your paper files and your "genealogy life."  Do you have any tips or hints - if so, please share them.

Motivation Monday - Research Plans

We have all heard it before ~ in order to really focus on our research we should write up and use Research Plans.  In addition, we need to take that Research Plan and focus our research on that particular issue and not meander online or get distracted by ancillary research. 

A few points to consider:

• Think of a research question you want to answer;
• Write up the research question and your plan for answering the question;
• Consider the types of research (online and bricks & mortar) you need to conduct to answer the question;
• Set a time limit for conducting the research (use your genealogy database program to-dos or your genealogy calendar) and set benchmarks;
• A great blog entry I read on Clue Wagon was about spending 4 hours of time researching a particular person ~ check it out.
• After researching your question, write up your results and next steps in a Research Report.
• Give your Research Plan and Research Report to a genealogist friend to review (and offer to do the same for your friend); and
• Hopefully you will gain some insight into your research question (or solve it!) and you will continue to gain more experience by really focusing on your research.

I belong to one of the current ProGen Study Groups and January's assignment was to draft a Research Plan (assignments are turned in monthly and critiqued by other members of the Study Group as well as discussed during our monthly online chat).  Thanks to a member of my Study Group who was on the ball and turned in her assignment early (thank you Micki), I had an opportunity to read and use (as a template) her rather excellent Research Plan.

The research problem I chose was "to find the marriage date and place for my great great grandparents ~ Michael Daniel O'Murphy and Honora Agnes Butler."  According to information provided by their youngest granddaughter, the couple met and married in New York City in 1861.  Nice story, but I don't have any primary source information to support this "fact." 

Their published obituaries state that each was born in Ireland, each immigrated to the United States, they met and married in New York (although they list different wedding dates!) and the family bible entries list their first five children as born in New York City between 1861 and 1868.  Various later censuses show these children's birthplace as New York.  To-date I have not been able to find any immigration record or New York census record for either Michael or Honora (in the time period of 1840-1855). 

I have not spent much time on this family as we had birth, marriage and death dates and places from Murphy relatives for the more recent family (grandparents and great grandparents).  However, since I am now attempting to document the information I have received from family and do the necessary research to prove our family history and carry it back to Ireland, I need to learn more about Michael and Honora.  Writing up a Research Plan is one example of following through on my "work smarter not harder" genealogy goal for 2011.

These screenshots show the draft of my Research Plan, including "Known" Facts, Research Plan (lots of to-dos here!) and Summary of Findings (to be filled in once I conduct the research). 

I have done some research in Canadian, Norwegian and Swedish records, as well as records' research in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington.  However, I have not done any research in New York records so I will need to read up on what is available and how to get to it. A terrific resource to start with is the FamilySearch Wiki for New York.  Why not check out your own "State of interest?"

Sounds like a good online research project during February and perhaps a research trip in the Spring.  Alternatively, if we share any of the above family members and you can shine any light on Michael and Honora's early years ~ I would love to hear from you!

In the Clover ~ Irish Family History Research at SLIG

(Digital Art provided by FreeDigitalPhotos.net ~ thanks)

Next week at this time I will be midway through Course 3 ~ Irish Family History Research with David Ouimette, CG ~ at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG).  January a great time to go to Salt Lake City and settle in for genealogy courses and research at the Family History Library (FHL).  The FHL is not very crowded and the cold weather really makes me want to stay warm and dry at the library.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been to the SLIG before (I attended and highly recommend American Records with Paula Stuart-Warren and Internet Tools & Techniques with Barbara Renick and Debby Horton; additionally if you get the chance to attend any lecture given by D. Joshua Taylor ~ do it, he is a great speaker and is quite tech savvy). 

I am looking forward to this year's course because it is focused on Irish family history research, a subject near and dear to my genealogy heart as my father's ancestry is Irish by way of Counties Carlow, Cork and Kerry.  As an added bonus, the FHL is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm (on Mondays it closes at 5:00 pm) for research.  I plan go to the FHL during my "free time" and put all that theory into practice with the FHL's Irish collection.

The course outline is as follows:

Irish Immigration - North American Sources and Methodology

Irish Emigration - Irish Sources and Methodology

Scotch-Irish in America

Irish Surnames and Given Names

Irish Records and Resources on the Internet

Identifying Irish Localities

The Irish Collection in the Family History

Tools for Irish Reference

Catholic Church Records

Church of Ireland Records

Presbyterian Church Records

Irish Civil Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths

Irish Census and Census Substitutes

Methodology for Interpreting and Evaluating Name Lists

Land Valuation Records

Estate, Land and Property Records

Irish Poor Law System

Methodology for Reconstructing Lineages from Irish Record Fragments

Irish Probate Records and Genealogical Collections

Preparing for a Family History Experience in Ireland

Twenty lectures over the course of the week works out to four lectures each day ~ quite the schedule.  Mr. Ouimette is the author of Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide and is also a director at large of the National Genealogical Society (a more complete bio is here ). 

Since one of my New Year's resolutions is to be a more consistent blogger, I plan to post about my experiences at the 2011 SLIG.  If you will be in Salt Lake City attending the SLIG (especially if you are attending the Irish Family History Research course) perhaps we can meet up.  If you are not attending the SLIG in person, check back here next week to attend via my blog.

Slainte

Getting Ready for the New Year - Time For My Resolutions

Last year after listening to Lisa Louise Cooke’s podcasts about blogging and reading a number of blogs to get a feel for what was out there, what they looked like and what styles or formats appealed to me, I decided to take the plunge and start my own blog.  I kept it private for the first few months to get in the habit of writing (and more importantly editing), to practice adding pictures and gadgets, and to make sure I would follow through (I have seen a number of blogs that start strong and peter out rather quickly). 

I have always been the type who researches most anything I am interested in, plans how to get it done and schedules when I am going to do it – my parents are famous list makers, a trait which they passed along to all of their children and my catholic school education encouraged planning, more planning and then serious follow-through.

What I learned over the past year is that regular and consistent blogging takes time and effort but I think the rewards are worth it.  To those of you who enjoy family history and/or genealogy, consider starting (or restarting) a blog as a way to share your research, your methodology, and perhaps share any tips or hints you have learned over the years with the rest of us. 

As this year comes to a close I am glad that I took the plunge and started blogging (it was one of my 2010 resolutions).  Now as I look forward to welcoming 2011, it is time to think about my resolutions or goals for the coming year.

As important as thoughtfully making resolutions is taking the necessary action to keep them.  Publishing my resolutions is an attempt to “put it out there” and hopefully nudge me to keep at it throughout the year!  Once I made my list of resolutions (a whopping 16!) I decided that I needed to focus on being realistic and not get overwhelmed or set myself up for failure.  I like the idea of focusing my attention on a few goals at a time.  Rather than a lengthy list of New Years' resolutions that go by the wayside within a few weeks or a few months, I decided to make up quarterly resolutions.

In that spirit and fortified with some New Year's bubbly, here are my goals for the first quarter of  2011 ~

1. I resolve to finish entering all the data I acquired on my summer 2009 research trip to Newfoundland into my Excel worksheets – this includes all the birth, baptism, marriage, and death register entries, as well as voter/elector lists, residence/phone book entries, cemetery markers and family group sheets I transcribed and/or photographed.
2. I resolve to make an appointment with myself – same day, same time – each week to file (both paper and computer) so that I am organized and orderly in 2011 – Saturday morning from 7:00 – 8:30 am – usually this is before everyone else is up and about and before all those other to-do’s start happening.
3. I resolve to work smarter, not harder, in 2011 – This is by far the most complex goal but I think it will make my life easier in the long run:
• Plan - Make a series of research plans and focus on those plans and possible document sources to acquire the necessary information – in this regard use the research guidance tab in my Legacy program and use my GenSmarts program.
• Document - Use a research log each and every day for the first quarter of 2011 (an FHL instructor mentioned this last year at a class on organization and research methods - I really planned to do it in 2010 but did not follow through – this is the year!).  After the first quarter I will reassess but I am hoping by then using a research log will be second nature and I will have a format that works perfectly for me!
• Source - Enter the source citation at the beginning of my review of any item (film, book, newspaper, etc.).
• Location - Enter the repository at the beginning of my review of any item.
• Quality Control - Check any photographs, scans, or photocopies before I finish with the source and certainly before I leave a repository to make sure I have not cut off page numbers, or failed to enter necessary information on my research log! (Similar to the maxim “measure twice, cut once” – I don’t want to redo my research.)
• Data Entry – Put it all together by entering it into my Legacy program, my Excel worksheets, my Creative Memories Memory Manager program and filing as appropriate.
• Protect – Backup my computer on a regular basis – I have no interest in reinventing the genealogy wheel!
4. Most importantly, I resolve to keep a positive attitude, be ready to learn and ready to help others both in my genealogy life and my real life.

Well ~ that is a start ~ each of these goals will be continuing throughout the year.  I will need to break these resolutions/goals down into manageable parts (more on that in another post) but I truly think I can do it – why not aim high! 

So, do you have any resolutions or goals for the new year ~ why not publish them and we can motivate each other to focus, focus, focus.

(photo provided by digital artist Simon Howden, thanks)

Happy New Year to you and yours. 

May 2011 bring all of us the World over

that which we most need ~ ~ ~ 

Peace, Hope, Love & Joy.