Motivation Monday ~ A Recap for March & April

February and March were crazy busy as far as my genealogy research went. After watching a Legacy-hosted webinar on newspaper research with Thomas Kemp of GenealogyBank, I decided to check it out. I had really good luck and was able to back my way into solving one of my Irish family's brickwalls. On a second research front, a terrific Irish records site came on-line and was mentioned in a blog post that directed me to church records for Counties Cork and Kerry. A bit of reverse sleuthing and comparisons with previously found but unproven census records and another of my Irish family's brickwalls finally came down. Both finds need some more work, but I am light years ahead of where I was two months ago. A nice bonus is that I now have additional family members (siblings of my direct ancestors who are “new to me”) to research and connect with. Both of those finds will be the subject of their own posts in the near future. All I can say in my own defense (for my February and March blogging slump) is that I was so busy researching and working through the connections that I just let my blogging slide.

Spring has sprung, Easter brought with it that reminder of new life and rebirth so ~ I am wiping the slate clean, jumping back into the monthly genealogy goal meme, and posting my March Accomplishments & April Goals (thanks to Stephanie at Corn & Cotton for keeping me and many others motivated).

Research

• The 1940 Census
• March ~ I prepared my 1940 Census To-Do Lists using the Legacy Census Tool. I broke down the to-do lists by county and state. Knowing that some of my family remained in the same towns and counties in Nebraska and Illinois I decided to focus on these areas as well as my grandparents (both located in Seattle, Washington and for whom I had their 1940 addresses).
• April ~ I found and downloaded the various census pages and as of today I have found 105 members of my extended family on the 1940 Census. I could not have done this without the following:
• I cleaned up my Legacy database and standardized all my census entries so I had 1930 census information for my extended family. This was an excellent exercise to prepare for the 1940 Census and also to review my earlier census entries and clean up my sources.
• Steve Morse, Joel Weintraub and the volunteers who worked on the OneStep 1940 Census program – thank you for such great programs and tutorials – I learned so much from using these programs and was able to drill down to the correct enumeration districts. You are all The Best!
• The various websites that uploaded the digital images of the 1940 Census – it was an embarrassment of riches ~ The National Archives, FamilySearch, Archives, MyHeritage, and Ancestry  ~ all worked hard to make so much available from day 1 ~ just brilliant! I used several of the sites and was able to noodle my way to finding the census pages.
• DearMyrtle ~ every evening Monday through Friday she hosted a webinar roundup that entertained, explained, shared stories, answered questions and kept the genealogy community involved in the hoopla that was the 1940 Census release. I was thrilled to listen to and watch the presentations by Joel Weintraub, the representatives from Archives, the National Archives, and Ancestry, the examples provided by Russ Worthington, the finds shared by attendees, and the discussion among the attendees on Twitter. There was a lot going on and it was clearly a labor of love ~ thanks DearMyrtle and RootsMagic for hosting the webinars.
• Kiley Family
• March ~ In response to my request and a small fee, I received my great great grandmother’s obituary from Obits of Nebraska. Ellen's obituary mentioned two sisters who attended her funeral as well as two nephews who officiated. I found the priests in the federal censuses and worked my way back to their families with Ancestry.com and GenalogyBank.com.  The nephews’ surname was Cannell and I found the Cannell family in Rockford and Burritt, Illinois.  From a combination of newspaper articles and obituaries, I determined that my great great grandmother Ellen Kiley came to America from Ireland with her widowed mother and (at least) two siblings, Jane Kiley (who married John Cannell, settled in Burritt, had seven sons, and later died and was buried in Rockford) and Catherine Kiley (who remained single, moved to, and later died and was buried in St. Louis). Of course the surname is spelled Kiley, Kiely, Kieley, and Keeley depending on the article or document!
• April ~ I need to follow up on the Kiley and Cannell families and transcribe and source all the material I found in March. I am in the process of adding it (with appropriate sources) to my Legacy database. I am also contacting current Cannells to hopefully find out more information about both the Kiley and Cannell families. 
• Murphy Family
• I need to follow up with extended family members in Nebraska and Washington both for family records and 1940 Census research. To any Murphys in Johnson County, Nebraska ~ let’s work on filling in some blanks. My email is over at the right so please get in touch. John ~ thanks for your comment I emailed you directly and would love to hear from you!

Organization

• March & April ~ I am continuing to organize my digital materials (photographs, census images, images saved in my Ancestry Shoebox, images saved from Genline of Sweden, images from DigitalArchives of Norway, and county and town research and images downloaded from Irish websites as well as all my Newfoundland research). Now that I have a system in place it is a process of working on this a bit each day ~ this is an ongoing project but I do see light at the end of the organization tunnel!

Blogging

• April ~ I need to get back on board with Amy Coffin’s 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy. I need to finish my blog post about my grandfather Ernest William Lidman. I need to blog on a weekly basis ~ remember the Nike mantra ~ just do it!

Education

• March ~ There were lots of webinars to choose from in March and I attended the following:
• Introduction to Irish American Catholic Records with Michael Brophy on March 3 ~ This was a interesting presentation, with lots of insights and some tips to help me get farther with my Irish American research.
• 1940 Census with Thomas MacEntee on March 7 ~ A nice preparation webinar and he answered many questions to help us prepare for the census release.
• Using the Census Tool in Legacy with Geoff Rasmussen on March 9 ~ Thank you for this great tool and for the quick and responsive updates, you made my preparation so much easier!
• Using US Federal Records to Locate the Towns of Your Irish Ancestors with Donna Moughty on March 12 ~ An excellent presentation and I got lots of helpful tips to help me dig a little deeper with my brickwall Irish families.
• How to Use a Blog for a Research Log with Drew Smith on Mar 19 ~ This was a disappointing webinar from a usually reliable presenter. Drew discussed blogs in detail but it was clearly for beginners. There was no serious discussion of the research log aspect listed in the webinar title and which is why I (and others) attended the webinar. 
• Tips & Tricks for Webinar Presenters with Thomas MacEntee on Mar 21 ~ Thomas does a good job and this webinar was helpful to understanding how the process works (or rather should work) and is a real must watch for anyone planning on giving presentations.
• Digital Writing & Genealogy with Lisa Alzo on March 30 ~ Lisa always does a great job and this webinar was no exception. Some really helpful tips and plenty of great examples.
• April ~ It has all been about the 1940 Census Release but there are also some additional subjects out there for webinars.
• I attended 4 of 5 days of DearMyrtle’s roundup of all things Census (missed Thursday’s webinar but listened to it after the fact).  These were all-around great and very useful. We received some terrific best practices tips from all the major players.
• I plan to attend the following webinars during the remainder of April:
• Going Digital with Josh Taylor on April 10
• Genealogy on the Go – the Families App with Malcolm Green on April 11 (through Legacy)
• Using Legacy Family Tree to Support Family Groups/Associations with Geoff Rasmussen on April 14 (through Legacy)
• Reverse Genealogy: Finding the Living with Megan Smolenyak (through Legacy)

Giving Back

• I signed up as a 1940 Ambassador.
• March ~ I signed up to index the 1940 census when available, indexed the practice census sheet and watched the FamilySearch presentations so I would be ready to go when the census pages were uploaded and available.
• April ~ During the past week, I indexed census pages from Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota and Oregon (I have indexed 1120 names and have a 98% accuracy rating ~ thanks to those enumerators who printed or had good penmanship). It is interesting and fun. More importantly, if we all volunteer we will have an index up and available for researchers and genealogists. It is a nice way to give back and thank those who indexed the previous censuses I have relied upon to find my families! I plan to index 3 batches each day (120 names) first thing in the morning. Are you signed up and indexing? If not, why not give it a try.

Onward and upward ~ I need to stay on track to reach my 2012 goals. If the first week is any indication, April is going to be a big and busy genealogy month!  What have you been up to? Any great finds? If you recognize any of the surnames and/or locations mentioned here, please contact me. Cheers!

Two Weeks In And I'm In The Groove ~ Motivation Monday

Thanks to Suat Eman
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

An Update on my January Genealogy Goals

Research

• I am busily working through my Shoebox on Ancestry.com and have downloaded and saved 75 “international records.” By mid-week I will switch my Ancestry.com membership from World to USA.  I have not uploaded my family tree to Ancestry and so have not taken advantage of any “shaking leaves” to further my research.  This is something I might do in 2012 and would love your thoughts on the value of uploading a tree to Ancestry. 

Organization

• Research collected in my paper Norwegian and Swedish Notebooks is now scanned, filed, and entered in my Legacy database (these notebooks are much smaller now).  Onward to my Norwegian and Swedish Digital Notebooks, where I hope to employ the same “clear the decks” determination!  How are your organization projects coming along?
• I continue to organize my USA Census Excel Workbook.  The census citations for all USA and State censuses are in order and the 1900-1930 census entries are up-to-date (downloaded, abstracted, and assigned/linked) for all family and extended family in my Legacy database.  I plan to write about this project and show examples in next week’s Motivation Monday post.  After that it is onward to the 1800s censuses.  Thankfully most of my family wasn’t in the USA until the 1860/1880 timeframe but I do have several “related” or cluster families to check out.  This is a work in progress to get ready for the 1940 US Census release in April.  A little bit each week should get the project done in time.  How are you coming on preparing for the 1940 Census release?

Blogging

• I posted for the first two weeks of the 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy meme (only 50 more to go!).  It has been helpful not only to think and write about Amy Coffin’s weekly prompt, but also to read others’ responses.  This week, Jennifer of 'On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History gave some great tips for free Irish research websites.  Are you contributing to this meme? If so ~ how is it going for you?  If not ~ why not join us and share your knowledge?
• I need to work on blogging consistently ~ there are so many distractions!  Definitely an area where I need improvement.

Writing

• I finished writing a “guest blog post" about my family’s slide/photo scanning and organization project for Marian's Roots and Rambles, written by Marian Pierre-Louis.  I just need to add a few more photos and email it by midweek.  It was quite helpful to revisit and write up the process we used for this project (and gain a cheatsheet to pass on to the next family memory keeper).  
• This is so much fun that I feel guilty considering it a goal ~ I love reading and commenting on posts in my Genealogy Bloggers Circle at Google+.  What a great community (I don’t think it is a distraction yet but I will need to set the timer and limit myself so I get some work done!).

Education

• Another guilty pleasure – oh wait, I am learning so much there is no guilt.  January started strong with the following webinars and radio shows:
• Me and My Laptop ~ Linda Woodward Geiger through the Southern California Genealogical Society (Saturday, 7 January)
• Linda was an amazing speaker and provided us with such an incredible wealth of information (one of my February goals will be to incorporate many of her organization tips).
• 10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Genealogy in 2012 ~ Thomas MacEntee through the Illinois State Genealogical Society (Tuesday, 10 January)
• Thomas gave a great presentation and his slides were clear, concise and a pleasure to watch.
• Tax Considerations for Your Genealogy Business ~ James M. Beidler through the Association of Professional Genealogists (Wednesday, 11 January)
• James took a rather dry topic and really livened it up.  I learned so much through his presentation as well as the terrific audience questions and comments.
• The FamilySearch Research Wiki and Your Genealogy Society  ~ FGS My Society on blogtalk radio (Saturday, 14 January)
• Lise Embley discussed how Societies can use the FamilySearch Research Wiki to get themselves out there – lots of great links to check out (who knew?).  Lee James Irwin of the Fairfax Genealogical Society spoke about his society’s programs and projects.  Both Lise and Lee were interesting and informative.

What were your webinar and radio show finds this month?  Do you have any suggestions for the next two weeks?

The first two weeks of January were a great start

Keep climbing one rung at a time to reach those goals!

Thanks to renjith krishnan
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

Motivation Monday ~ The Census Is Coming!

digital art by Renjith Krishnan

The Census is coming! The Census is coming! Read all about it! 

How many states were there in the USA in 1940?

48 (Alaska and Hawaii joined in time for the 1950 US Census but let’s not get ahead of ourselves)

How many states, counties, or towns had changed boundaries between 1930 and 1940 census?

Good question!  I haven't figured that one out yet but I'm sure its lots.

How many questions were on the 1940 standard census form?  

34

How many supplemental questions were asked and to who were they directed? 

12, and they were directed to individuals recorded on lines 14 and 29 of each census sheet; as well as some lines randomly designated to ensure a fair sampling.

When & Where will the census images be available? 

On Monday, April 2, 2012 & Online at the NARA national and regional offices and also online and free to the public at Archives.com

Will an index be available on April 2^nd?

Although the records have been digitized and will be available on April 2, there will not be any indexes on opening day.  However, people will be hard at work indexing almost immediately (that was what we call a softball question).  Once again we can thank Dr. Stephen P. Morse for coming up with yet more one-step programs to help us out. We will need to know the enumeration district for the city or town in which our ancestors lived in order to find and make use of the census images.  Why not visit www.stevemorse.org  (amazing one-step search programs including several for the 1940 US Census) and check out how to find those EDs today because continued procrastination is not a good thing where the 1940 Census is concerned.  

Where can you go to get more information about the 1940 Census? 

• If you need a primer about the census, 1940census provides a great overview and image of the forms used.  
• Or why not go directly to the source and learn more about the census from the U.S. Census Bureau (terrific discussion of the 1940 Census Records as well as a nifty countdown clock!).  
• As usual, Randy Seaver was way ahead of the curve ~ his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun for April 2, 2011 posted information about the release of the 1940 Census and asked us to post about which ancestors we would be searching for in the 1940 Census and where they were living on Census Day (hint ~ he told us to check city directories or telephone books and to make a list of those for whom you had an address and those that you needed to find addresses for).  Did you engage in SNGF back then?  Perhaps we should revisit that mission soon ~ why not read Randy Seaver’s post discussing SNGF & the 1940 Census.  
• Want a tutorial to walk you through the process of locating a person in the 1940 Census? Check out Plan Now for the 1940 U.S. Census at Susan’sGenealogy Blog.  
• And for those of you planning ahead, on Wednesday March 7 2012 Thomas MacEntee will present Are You Ready for the 1940 US Census Images? through Legacy Family Tree webinars – why not sign up now.  

I’m sure there are plenty more examples out there, but these should get you motivated to start preparing for the release of the 1940 US Census.

Motivation Monday - Database Clean Up

Long time no blog!  My plan to blog at least once a week fell by the wayside due to "real life" interruptions.  Last year at this time I was sailing through a month (31 days straight) of posts devoted to family history topics using an alphabet theme.  Ah, those were the days!  These past few months while I have kept up with other blogs, attended several webinars and web workshops, gone searching for ancestors at the Minnesota Archives, several County historical society libraries, and more than a few out of the way cemeteries, I just could not get it together blogging-wise. 

Now that the leaves have turned and an autumn chill is in the air, it is time to get back to it.  I have spent the past few weeks cleaning up my master lists in my Legacy database program.  This particular project is part of my continuing effort to organize my genealogy research (both the paper and computer variety).  I discovered that I needed to make a few decisions about what I was doing and how I was doing it before I added any more people, places and things.  The impetus for this organization project is that I just have too much paper, too little space, and I don't think I have taken advantage of all the information I have accumulated over the past few years.  I want to make sure I am working smarter ~ not harder, and in the process I wanted to pare down all the excess (sound familiar).

My organization project is an effort to have a more professional product or output for all my research.  I spent the better part of this summer playing with Legacy and some add-on programs, reading the manuals, attending seminars, workshops and webinars, and lurking at the various program forums.  Until I played around with the program and printed several reports and then used them during my research trips, I found I had not really paid enough attention to the input and the output of my genealogy data.

So what have I learned?

• Pick a database management program and learn it ~ play around and learn all the ins and outs, the tips and tricks.  Make sure the program you chose works for you!  If you keep jumping from one program to the next, you tend to lose focus and you will never master the program.
• Determine at the outset how you want your data to look in a report and then plan your data entry accordingly ~ be consistent with data entry (the key here is templates - mine are in a Word document on my desktop).
• Set time aside to clean up your database program on a monthly basis ~ clean up those master lists (surname, address, event, repository, and sources) on a regular basis.  Doing a bit each month means you won't have a big mess to clean up right before you need a research to-do list or an ancestor report.
• Spend some time with your master source list and make sure you like how the sources read in a report.  Figure out how to add events/facts and sources in your program.  Make sure you are comfortable with the wording of both the events/facts sentences and the source output and/or make any necessary changes and additions.  I spent the better part of the last month cleaning up my master sources list and changing the sentences for facts/events for a better flow in reports.  It was a pain but it helped me clean up past mistakes, put my master sources in a useful order, and gave me plenty of quality time with the source clipboard.  Is a fellow genealogist able to follow your research and find your sources?
• Spend some time each week with one family and do the following:
• check for vital records information (birth, marriage, death) ~ make a note of what is missing and where you should look for it ~ add it to the to-do lists.
• check for census entries (for me these are facts/events) ~ make a note of any missing censuses and where you should look for the family ~ add them to the to-to lists.
• check for obituaries - make a note of where you should look for them ~ add them to the to-do lists.
• check for burials/cremations ~ make a note of what is missing and where you should look for it ~ add it to the to-do lists.
• It is all about quality not quantity ~ pay attention to the details at the outset and you will be rewarded with a professional work product.

A big thank you to all those lecturers whose webinars, workshops and seminars helped me fine tune my approach to genealogy research.  Both my paper and computer organization are slowly but surely "getting there." 

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.

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.