I knew it would be a big job, I guess I just never thought how BIG the job was. I was so excited when we moved into this house. Finally, after raising our two kids and then marrying them off... (LOL), we got our dream house. I actually could have a room of my own for my genealogy.
Well, its been almost 8 years and somehow time slipped away. I was so thrilled to have my own space. I could leave my research books on the desk, my very own desk, and not have to pick them up so we could have dinner or tax clients could be assisted. The problem is, who wants to take time out from researching to paint?
Several weeks ago, Mr. Brown Eyes announced that I was going to NGS for the national genealogy conference. I'd been wanting to go for many years but the timing just wasn't right. Well this year, I did go. While I was gone he had my office painted. It's absolutely beautiful. I chose the color and left the paint chip for my painter. It has blown me away. WOWSERS!
The only problem is, everything but the desk had to leave. Even the two lateral filing cabinets. Which means that all the files had to COME OUT so they could be moved. Well the paint job is beautiful (Dan the painter ROCKS!)... but now that I am home I get to put it all back together.
So I'm going to blog, not about paint or putting offices back together, but about my genealogy. Won't promise its going to be exciting or anything, but I'll try to get some genealogy up here in the next day or so.
So EVERYTHING is back in the office, alot of it in boxes, some of it is back but NOT going back in the cabinets - I want to go thru all those files and make sure all is scanned & typed. So another project is under way. One day maybe I'll get it all done the way I want it. Until then I'll just keep plugging away.
Happy Researching
Karen
Showing posts with label Organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organization. Show all posts
09 March 2015
Monday Musings
Spent the weekend on identifying some Ligon's I found on the Georgia death records over at Family Search. I can't say it was easy - but I do love a good challenge.
Out of the eight I started with I have only one I still can't identify and add to my Ligon data base. Not bad for a weekend's work!
I've been working on re-organizing, cleaning, and rethinking how I do some things. I'm also STILL working on all the images I had scanned over the past year. I'm about half way thru, cropping, naming and linking them in my data base as I go.
This doesn't include the several hundred scanned recipes that I am also typing into my cookbook software, where I have well over 100,000 recipes already typed in. I've been collecting recipes for well over 30 years. The newest have images attached as I've found them. Makes for a nice searchable file.
I inherited a new desk (few months ago) from my daughter. It was originally my late father in law's desk so its been around a while. But its HUGE. Lots of room, several drawers and did I say tons of desk top space. So I have room for my dual monitors and more! LOVE IT! One of the best things is the large "file" drawer on the right bottom. I've turned that into my space for the copies or papers & folders I am currently working on. As I am going thru folders in my file cabinet and I find things I want to focus on or look at again, I place them there and I can stay focused without having tons of stuff laying all over my desk. Important!
It's tax time so of course its been busy with tax clients coming & going alot! We've also got a new grandson (#5), Joshua Mark Luotonen who was born January 29th. What a cutie!
Time to get busy - the daily chores are done, time to get focused and get some stuff done.
What challenges are you working on in your genealogy??
Happy Researching!
Karen
Out of the eight I started with I have only one I still can't identify and add to my Ligon data base. Not bad for a weekend's work!
I've been working on re-organizing, cleaning, and rethinking how I do some things. I'm also STILL working on all the images I had scanned over the past year. I'm about half way thru, cropping, naming and linking them in my data base as I go.
This doesn't include the several hundred scanned recipes that I am also typing into my cookbook software, where I have well over 100,000 recipes already typed in. I've been collecting recipes for well over 30 years. The newest have images attached as I've found them. Makes for a nice searchable file.
I inherited a new desk (few months ago) from my daughter. It was originally my late father in law's desk so its been around a while. But its HUGE. Lots of room, several drawers and did I say tons of desk top space. So I have room for my dual monitors and more! LOVE IT! One of the best things is the large "file" drawer on the right bottom. I've turned that into my space for the copies or papers & folders I am currently working on. As I am going thru folders in my file cabinet and I find things I want to focus on or look at again, I place them there and I can stay focused without having tons of stuff laying all over my desk. Important!
It's tax time so of course its been busy with tax clients coming & going alot! We've also got a new grandson (#5), Joshua Mark Luotonen who was born January 29th. What a cutie!
Time to get busy - the daily chores are done, time to get focused and get some stuff done.
What challenges are you working on in your genealogy??
Happy Researching!
Karen
02 January 2015
2015 - Out With The Old & In With The New
Happy New Year!
We were talking with some friends the other day about just how quickly time passes. Seems like yesterday we were all wondering what the effects of going from 1999 to 2000 would be. Hard to believe that it is now 2015. Time sure flies!
This year will bring a (hopefully soon) new grandson for us. He's due in late January. What a great thing that will be!
As many of you have done we've been cleaning - the bringing of the new year some how seems to make us want to make changes. We've been emptying closets, donating "stuff", reorganizing and rethinking how we do things. Makes for lots of changes in our household. Mostly good things.
Every year I am always anxious to see what new information for genealogy is going to appear on line. Will this be the year I discover the ancestry of John McCune? John Hess? John Peterman? (see a pattern here?). One can only hope that perhaps one of those walls will be coming down. I can only hope.
I'm hoping this year to be more informative on the blog, more consistancy with the posts, more information in the posts. My goal right now is to redefine the way my office is organized, be more efficient with my time useage, and more organized with the way I do things. Somehow we always seem to think that we have everything the way we want it, then something happens and a lightbulb comes on in our heads. Suddenly everything isn't as efficient as we'd like it to be. And so it goes.
So what genealogy related projects are you going to work on this year?
02 October 2014
Overwhelmed? Let's Talk Organization!
Organization is a major issue for a lot of people. I'm not exception. I'm working very hard at organizing some things in my life, but I can tell you right now, it's not easy.
Organization covers alot of ground. It applies to lots of different aspects of our lives. Things that we need to organize in order not to feel overwhelmed can include all sorts of things - for example -
Last year I went thru all my closets (except Mr. Brown Eye's). One closet a week. All items taken out, gone thru. Some stuff donated, some stuff moved to another location, some stuff just tossed in trash. Deciding what I needed, what I didn't was a major chore. But I did it. It's not just about our household organization but our genealogy space organization. So I also did my office closet and desk.
Whether you have a room you call an office or whether you have a corner desk in the living room for your genealogy, organization is a major issue. There is nothing worse, at least to me, to go to a major repository to research, make a MAJOR find, go to type it in your computer data base only to discover its ALREADY THERE!!!!!!!!! And I know that you've done that. We all have. Because we haven't taken the time to stop digging long enough to dig ourselves out of the mess & clutter we call our "office" or "genealogy desk". If we stopped researching, just for a week or two, and took the time to get rid of the piles of papers, the clutter, the mass of disorganization, what a difference it would make in your productivity. Yes, I know its hard!
Just think if your desk wasn't covered in piles of paper you could have a list of exactly what you want to search for. Then when you have 15 minutes to sit down and research, you'll know exactly what you want to look and where! It would make such a difference in how you see things. With a decluttered desk you won't feel so overwhelmed.
There is a Facebook page for genealogy organization, "The Organized Genealogist". It is a closed group, meaning you will have to ask to be included. Keep in mind that reading all the posts can be very overwhelming. But there is alot there, with the focus being on organizing your genealogy. No genealogy surnames or such allowed. Great group.
So what will you take time to organize this week? Have you recently reorganized your genealogy space? Do you wish you had done it sooner?
Organization covers alot of ground. It applies to lots of different aspects of our lives. Things that we need to organize in order not to feel overwhelmed can include all sorts of things - for example -
- Kitchen
- Closets
- Daily Chores
- Computer Files
- Garage
- Collections (in my case my cookbook collection)
- Offices
Last year I went thru all my closets (except Mr. Brown Eye's). One closet a week. All items taken out, gone thru. Some stuff donated, some stuff moved to another location, some stuff just tossed in trash. Deciding what I needed, what I didn't was a major chore. But I did it. It's not just about our household organization but our genealogy space organization. So I also did my office closet and desk.
Whether you have a room you call an office or whether you have a corner desk in the living room for your genealogy, organization is a major issue. There is nothing worse, at least to me, to go to a major repository to research, make a MAJOR find, go to type it in your computer data base only to discover its ALREADY THERE!!!!!!!!! And I know that you've done that. We all have. Because we haven't taken the time to stop digging long enough to dig ourselves out of the mess & clutter we call our "office" or "genealogy desk". If we stopped researching, just for a week or two, and took the time to get rid of the piles of papers, the clutter, the mass of disorganization, what a difference it would make in your productivity. Yes, I know its hard!
Just think if your desk wasn't covered in piles of paper you could have a list of exactly what you want to search for. Then when you have 15 minutes to sit down and research, you'll know exactly what you want to look and where! It would make such a difference in how you see things. With a decluttered desk you won't feel so overwhelmed.
There is a Facebook page for genealogy organization, "The Organized Genealogist". It is a closed group, meaning you will have to ask to be included. Keep in mind that reading all the posts can be very overwhelming. But there is alot there, with the focus being on organizing your genealogy. No genealogy surnames or such allowed. Great group.
So what will you take time to organize this week? Have you recently reorganized your genealogy space? Do you wish you had done it sooner?
29 September 2014
Overwhelmed? Here's Five Steps To Help!
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of genealogy information being "thrown" at you these days? A sense of being totally overwhelmed by the "information highway"? It seems like everyday there is some new technology, something new to search, something new to try, a new website, a new genealogy Facebook page, you want to look at them all but you've got kids to take care of, the laundry calls, someone has to make dinner and the list seems to just keep growing on both the personal and the genealogy sides?
I know how you feel! It can be tough. But I've learned some things so I thought I'd share them with you. This is how I survive, can't swear it will work for you but some suggestions that might help.
I know how you feel! It can be tough. But I've learned some things so I thought I'd share them with you. This is how I survive, can't swear it will work for you but some suggestions that might help.
- Priorities - Sit down, step back and take a hard look at just what it is that is truly important to you. Yes, I know you really want to find out who the parents of John Smith are. We all do. But the fact is, he's been dead for over 200 years. He can wait. Stop and take a good look at what really matters. Then plan your time around those things.
- Organize - You would be amazed at how much easier life is when you organize your life. Not just your genealogy but your day to day life as well. I didn't say it was easy or that it would happen over night, but it can be done. By having things organized, you can quickly get things done without spending half the time you wanted to use researching or doing household chores looking for things to help get the job done. Make a place for everything and put everything in its place.
- Simplify - Again it really makes like easier if you learn to simplify things. I enjoy cooking and baking as one of my "other" hobbies. I sometimes see really great recipes with tons of ingredients and steps to making them. Reading over the process I usually find a way to side step alot of the process and still get the same results. There are alot of things that you can do to simplify things. In genealogy, when doing some internet searches I search using ONE group sheet. Yep, just one family and search only for that family. No rabbit hole running.
- Make Lists - Not just in your genealogy but in your daily life. Sit down and make a list of the chores that you need to take care of. Sometimes by multitasking & dividing you can shorten the time it takes to get the job done. By making a list you can see what chores are the most time consuming and perhaps do one per day, combined with several smaller chores each day. Everything gets done and you win with more time for doing the things you want to do instead of what you have to do.
- Learn to say NO - Being a stay at home mom for all of our marriage meant that I was one of those who got asked to do EVERYTHING. You know, you are at home watching soaps and eating bon bons so of course you have time to be on every committee and do everything right? I learned early on that if I accepted everything that I was asked to do I quickly had no time to do the things I needed/wanted to do at home. So I stepped back, decided which things were the most important for me to do at school to support the activities I felt important and then adjusted my time to fit that in. Everything else was "Sorry, I'd love to help but I'm already volunteering on several other projects."
07 April 2014
So What's Next ?
On Friday I wrote about how I finally had the paperless office! Took me a year and I will admit I still have images to crop, link and transcribe on the flash drive. While that all was in process I started to look at the information that I do have.
I've come to the realization that there are quite a few things I need/want to do in my data base. In doing all this linking & transcribing you see holes. Sometimes in places you really don't want to see them. Like maybe in the direct line.
I've always told the people who attend my talks that doing your "census homework" was a primary to do for working in genealogy. While I was cropping & linking I was adding to my to do list. Simple things like a death certificate here, an obituary there.... and then it hit me! So many were still missing some of their census.
I follow all the lines of my ancestors, not just the direct line down to me, but the siblings of my ancestors and their down lines as well. I find so many times that when I can't find MY ancestor if I go looking for his siblings or other relatives that I find the ancestor as well. Although I don't consider the census primary (that's another discussion!), I do consider it important.
So my next project is to get on top of all the census I need for those who are missing them. This should be interesting!
Happy Researching!
Karen
I've come to the realization that there are quite a few things I need/want to do in my data base. In doing all this linking & transcribing you see holes. Sometimes in places you really don't want to see them. Like maybe in the direct line.
I've always told the people who attend my talks that doing your "census homework" was a primary to do for working in genealogy. While I was cropping & linking I was adding to my to do list. Simple things like a death certificate here, an obituary there.... and then it hit me! So many were still missing some of their census.
I follow all the lines of my ancestors, not just the direct line down to me, but the siblings of my ancestors and their down lines as well. I find so many times that when I can't find MY ancestor if I go looking for his siblings or other relatives that I find the ancestor as well. Although I don't consider the census primary (that's another discussion!), I do consider it important.
So my next project is to get on top of all the census I need for those who are missing them. This should be interesting!
Happy Researching!
Karen
04 April 2014
Really? A Month? Yeah A Month! BUT....
It was worth it, at least for me. I have gotten so much done in my office. I've now gotten EVERYTHING that was laying around all scanned. Much of it is named, cropped and linked. But there is SO MUCH MORE to do yet.
I do have some "non genealogy" stuff around that needs to get put elsewhere. I did get my closet all re-organized which I've been needing to do since I moved in 7 years ago. I love my plants so there's probably way too many of them in here as well. Everything in this office is "me"... plants, photo's ... you know, STUFF.
How much stuff do you keep in your office that isn't genealogy? We won't even go into the book shelves, full of all my genie books. I need to go thru those next...
NEXT? Yes, there's always another project in the works? Mine include cleaning up my sourcing and going thru all my books to see if I missed any gold mines since my last flip thru.
I "attended" the Legacy Family Tree Webinar on sourcing in Legacy. I never knew it was so easy. My sources were done on my own, and now after seeing how easy Legacy has made it, I want to convert all of mine over. Sadly, that project will be one slated for another time, as it will be a major undertaking.
Maybe all this is the forerunner to my spring cleaning - with all the snow we had its made for a long winter here in Michigan. I'm looking forward to spring SOON!
Thanks for waiting for me to return! What have you been up to while I was working on my project??
I do have some "non genealogy" stuff around that needs to get put elsewhere. I did get my closet all re-organized which I've been needing to do since I moved in 7 years ago. I love my plants so there's probably way too many of them in here as well. Everything in this office is "me"... plants, photo's ... you know, STUFF.
How much stuff do you keep in your office that isn't genealogy? We won't even go into the book shelves, full of all my genie books. I need to go thru those next...
NEXT? Yes, there's always another project in the works? Mine include cleaning up my sourcing and going thru all my books to see if I missed any gold mines since my last flip thru.
I "attended" the Legacy Family Tree Webinar on sourcing in Legacy. I never knew it was so easy. My sources were done on my own, and now after seeing how easy Legacy has made it, I want to convert all of mine over. Sadly, that project will be one slated for another time, as it will be a major undertaking.
Maybe all this is the forerunner to my spring cleaning - with all the snow we had its made for a long winter here in Michigan. I'm looking forward to spring SOON!
Thanks for waiting for me to return! What have you been up to while I was working on my project??
24 February 2014
Monday Musings
The last week has just flown by. Friday I put my mom on a flight back home, so now its just me and this office. I've accomplished a lot over the past six months. I have started pulling stuff from my file cabinets and scanning the items there that I didn't have previously scanned. I've got a small box that I've placed everything in for easier keeping up with it all.
Its really nice having all this stuff on the computer, scanned, cropped, named and still linking, but oh what progress I've made!
I'm going to be spending a week in Ft Wayne at the library in May and I want it all complete by then. My to do list is growing as I add the documents and I see things I am missing.
Although Legacy does have to do lists, I've decided to keep all my to do lists in Evernote. For now that seems like a really good choice. I'm able to record my findings there, with the "todo" item being in black and my findings in color. So far that has worked out very well.
Hard to believe but my biggest challenge is keeping up the blog. Wish me luck, I get so caught up in the projects at hand that I forget to put the blogs up.
What's on tap for you this week??
Its really nice having all this stuff on the computer, scanned, cropped, named and still linking, but oh what progress I've made!
I'm going to be spending a week in Ft Wayne at the library in May and I want it all complete by then. My to do list is growing as I add the documents and I see things I am missing.
Although Legacy does have to do lists, I've decided to keep all my to do lists in Evernote. For now that seems like a really good choice. I'm able to record my findings there, with the "todo" item being in black and my findings in color. So far that has worked out very well.
Hard to believe but my biggest challenge is keeping up the blog. Wish me luck, I get so caught up in the projects at hand that I forget to put the blogs up.
What's on tap for you this week??
29 August 2013
Organized?
I've been following quite a few posts on The Organized Genealogist on Facebook. I'm constantly amazed at how organized/disorganized people are. On the other hand as organized as I try to be I find sometimes no matter how hard I try things here on my desk get out of hand. Whether its a research tangent or just coming in from a research trip, there always seems to be papers laying about.
I've been using my FlipPal scanner alot to get images off of printer screens, which works great, but then after a while you do have to take care of those as well. I guess for now I'm just behind. Hopefully I'll get it under control soon?
How about you?
I've been using my FlipPal scanner alot to get images off of printer screens, which works great, but then after a while you do have to take care of those as well. I guess for now I'm just behind. Hopefully I'll get it under control soon?
How about you?
11 February 2013
Monday Musings
After finishing my project of naming, labeling, cropping & linking all my scanned images I took a day or two and pondered what to work on next.
I've got all my images sorted and stored in folders on my hard drive. Most are sorted by surname (direct line from pedigree charts), with the exception of Vital Records (sorted under that by state & county), Newspapers and headstones (sorted by cemetery name).
When I first started to gather images I had everything just stored under the surname header it belonged to. I decided that perhaps that needed to be modified. So now everything is being moved so that it fits more into the patterns I want. So ALL vital records (birth/death/marr) are all stored under vital records. All newspapers (obits/news stories/ marriage columns) are now in one place. The headstones have ALWAYS been under headstones. No discussion even needed on that one. With them all filed under the cemetery they are buried in it makes it very easy to find. And I like it that way.
I wassort of seriously dreading this task until I did a handful and found out that the software is intuitive enough that it knows when I move the items and it goes ahead and puts the new link in place! WOWSERS! Worry gone!
Should be done with all the moving around by the end of this week! Already pondering next project....
I've got all my images sorted and stored in folders on my hard drive. Most are sorted by surname (direct line from pedigree charts), with the exception of Vital Records (sorted under that by state & county), Newspapers and headstones (sorted by cemetery name).
When I first started to gather images I had everything just stored under the surname header it belonged to. I decided that perhaps that needed to be modified. So now everything is being moved so that it fits more into the patterns I want. So ALL vital records (birth/death/marr) are all stored under vital records. All newspapers (obits/news stories/ marriage columns) are now in one place. The headstones have ALWAYS been under headstones. No discussion even needed on that one. With them all filed under the cemetery they are buried in it makes it very easy to find. And I like it that way.
I was
Should be done with all the moving around by the end of this week! Already pondering next project....
17 January 2013
Best Laid Plans...
Some days it seems no matter how hard I try to sit and work on genealogy it just doesn't happen! I had planned out the entire week, lots of time to sit and do data entry, work on my scanner images, do some transcribing, some cropping, some linking. Alas, it was not meant to be.
As much as I hate it, sometimes life gets in the way. Little things like making body butter (something I've been wanting to try but never really got around to until yesterday!), organizing and straightening the pantry, putting together menu's for the month of Feb.(which is quickly approaching), then toss in things like delivering auto show tickets to a couple of the Ford Plants on the other side of town, Ortho appointments (decision time for braces removal) and of course making time for lunch with my best genealogy buddy!
The three grandsons all ended up here last night as well, with everyone having home made pizza for dinner. Bedlam, but the sound of the boys laughing and enjoying being with each other and being here at our home sure makes up for the craziness. They won't be little forever and soon (much sooner than I care to think) I'm sure girlfriends and such will intervene so I'll just enjoy them while I can!
As much as I hate it, sometimes life gets in the way. Little things like making body butter (something I've been wanting to try but never really got around to until yesterday!), organizing and straightening the pantry, putting together menu's for the month of Feb.(which is quickly approaching), then toss in things like delivering auto show tickets to a couple of the Ford Plants on the other side of town, Ortho appointments (decision time for braces removal) and of course making time for lunch with my best genealogy buddy!
The three grandsons all ended up here last night as well, with everyone having home made pizza for dinner. Bedlam, but the sound of the boys laughing and enjoying being with each other and being here at our home sure makes up for the craziness. They won't be little forever and soon (much sooner than I care to think) I'm sure girlfriends and such will intervene so I'll just enjoy them while I can!
15 March 2012
Tricks & Tips Thursday
Out of sight out of mind. Sound familiar? Sure it does! Unless you are one of those super organized persons, everyone does it.
You find a photo you want to scan, a reciept for your file, someone sends an obit on your fifth great uncle. So you put it away. And forget all about it. Lost forever in the deep dark hole called filing cabinets.
Yeah that's what I'm talking about. A tiny bit of organization can put an end to that. Here's how...
On my desk I have a file stand. Its a metal one that I "borrowed" from Mr. Brown Eyes. He never used it. So I saw it one day and now its mine. Anyway. Its metal and it has slots in it for folders.
What I did is, make a folder for my tax receipts, things I want to scan, papers I want to transcribe... the list goes on and on, but you get the idea. A simple holder with file folders, each neatly labeled.
Now when an obit comes in the mail, or I have a receipt from mailing something business at the post office, I just go right over the stand, pick the appropriate folder and drop in the paper. Every now and then I do the transciptions (usually take that folder with me when I know I'm going to have spare time waiting somewhere), or whip out the Flip Pal Scanner and do the scanning. Point it is, I now have the folders in one place out in plain sight. NO more out of sight out of mind!
Now if I could just find a way to add more hours to the days....
You find a photo you want to scan, a reciept for your file, someone sends an obit on your fifth great uncle. So you put it away. And forget all about it. Lost forever in the deep dark hole called filing cabinets.
Yeah that's what I'm talking about. A tiny bit of organization can put an end to that. Here's how...
On my desk I have a file stand. Its a metal one that I "borrowed" from Mr. Brown Eyes. He never used it. So I saw it one day and now its mine. Anyway. Its metal and it has slots in it for folders.
What I did is, make a folder for my tax receipts, things I want to scan, papers I want to transcribe... the list goes on and on, but you get the idea. A simple holder with file folders, each neatly labeled.
Now when an obit comes in the mail, or I have a receipt from mailing something business at the post office, I just go right over the stand, pick the appropriate folder and drop in the paper. Every now and then I do the transciptions (usually take that folder with me when I know I'm going to have spare time waiting somewhere), or whip out the Flip Pal Scanner and do the scanning. Point it is, I now have the folders in one place out in plain sight. NO more out of sight out of mind!
Now if I could just find a way to add more hours to the days....
05 January 2010
Organization Pt. 2
A bit more today on organization. Thought I would share a few tips with you on how I organize some of my genealogy.
***Handle each piece of paper ONCE. Either enter it into your software in notes or as a fact. Keeping it in a pile on your desk or floor doesn’t work. You can’t see it. Enter it, file it or pitch it. Don’t give in & put it back in the pile.
***I have direct line surname files. EVERYTHING is done based on my pedigree chart. If its not on the pedigree chart it doesn’t get a file. I went from six filing cabinets down to 2 laterals. I keep vital record PAPER copies ONLY on Direct line. Everything else is scanned & stored on the hard drive. Paper copies go in the recycling bin.
*** Find a way to organize your files and use it. Make sure it works for you. My system may look good but it might not be something you want to invest the time in. If it won’t work for you, you won’t use it.
***Don’t be afraid to use the to-do list in your genealogy software. Paper lists get lost in the shuffle.
***Invest in a piece of genealogy software that works for you. Most good software will let you download a trial. Find one that works for you & use it. Use the note fields to record the information on the papers in your piles. If you can not prove that “john Doe” is the son of “Joe Doe” then put your theory along with the supporting evidence in your notes, add a to do item and pitch the paper.
***Use your scanner to scan those documents and papers, link the images to the parties in your software. I have entire estate files & military pension files scanned into my computer. One military pension file is 146 pages and its all scanned and linked. When I work & I want to review the documents they are at my fingertips. I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
I posted this to a list and a person responded that she liked her paper, it worked for her ancestors & it will work for her. Only difference I see is her ancestors didn't know about acid free or ligin free so they had no choice. Yes, she may have gotten lucky that her ancestors newspaper clippings survived but many didn't. Why take the chance??
Do you have any organizational tips you could share? I'd love to hear how others organize their materials. I do read all comments on this blog. Thank you for taking the time to leave them!
Happy Researching!
Karen
***Handle each piece of paper ONCE. Either enter it into your software in notes or as a fact. Keeping it in a pile on your desk or floor doesn’t work. You can’t see it. Enter it, file it or pitch it. Don’t give in & put it back in the pile.
***I have direct line surname files. EVERYTHING is done based on my pedigree chart. If its not on the pedigree chart it doesn’t get a file. I went from six filing cabinets down to 2 laterals. I keep vital record PAPER copies ONLY on Direct line. Everything else is scanned & stored on the hard drive. Paper copies go in the recycling bin.
*** Find a way to organize your files and use it. Make sure it works for you. My system may look good but it might not be something you want to invest the time in. If it won’t work for you, you won’t use it.
***Don’t be afraid to use the to-do list in your genealogy software. Paper lists get lost in the shuffle.
***Invest in a piece of genealogy software that works for you. Most good software will let you download a trial. Find one that works for you & use it. Use the note fields to record the information on the papers in your piles. If you can not prove that “john Doe” is the son of “Joe Doe” then put your theory along with the supporting evidence in your notes, add a to do item and pitch the paper.
***Use your scanner to scan those documents and papers, link the images to the parties in your software. I have entire estate files & military pension files scanned into my computer. One military pension file is 146 pages and its all scanned and linked. When I work & I want to review the documents they are at my fingertips. I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
I posted this to a list and a person responded that she liked her paper, it worked for her ancestors & it will work for her. Only difference I see is her ancestors didn't know about acid free or ligin free so they had no choice. Yes, she may have gotten lucky that her ancestors newspaper clippings survived but many didn't. Why take the chance??
Do you have any organizational tips you could share? I'd love to hear how others organize their materials. I do read all comments on this blog. Thank you for taking the time to leave them!
Happy Researching!
Karen
04 January 2010
Organization
Organizing your genealogy is one of those things that I believe is an ongoing process that may not be resolved in a day or even a week. I guess alot depends on just how organized you would like to be. I think everyone would like to be more organized than they are. Something about that old addage about the grass always being greener....
I've been organizing & decluttering for a while. Not just my office but our entire house. After doing genealogy for 20+ years you start to rethink how you've been doing things. The introduction of new technology certainly seems to affect the organization process. For example I remember when our "new" camera was a Sony Digital camera - large & semi-bulky and the photo's were all saved to a 3.5 disk. WOWSERS! We took HUNDREDS of photo's on those disks and we had them all labeled and saved in cute little boxes in the office.
One day the camera wasn't happy anymore and suddenly the shock hit - OMG! These new camera's don't save to disk. They save to memory cards or memory sticks? What do we do with all those disks NOW? Oh wait, when you upgrade the computer they no longer include a floppy drive in those new computers either. Lordy! If its not one thing its another eh?
So technology does affect how & when you organize - especially in this digital age. The fun part is that no one really knows for sure how long all these Cd's, DVD's etc are really going to be good for. Sometimes the old paper & pencil doesn't seem so bad eh?
Organizing your genealogy is a process that you will think & rethink over the years, but its certainly one that will require your attention at some point. My best advice to you is to ask lots of questions, expect lots of answers. Mull them over & then decide what works best for you. Maybe a combination of this one & that one. Maybe all this one. Whatever works for you is what is best. If it doesn't work the way you want, you won't use it.
Today is the beginning of Relatively Speaking - Cousins Who Blog. I encourage you to stop by the main post for today over at Carol's. This will be a weekly blog appearing every Monday at one of the three cousins blogs. Next Monday, Anne over at Gene notes will be doing the honors. So stop by and give a read. You just never know what we'll be discussing next!
Happy Researching!
Karen
I've been organizing & decluttering for a while. Not just my office but our entire house. After doing genealogy for 20+ years you start to rethink how you've been doing things. The introduction of new technology certainly seems to affect the organization process. For example I remember when our "new" camera was a Sony Digital camera - large & semi-bulky and the photo's were all saved to a 3.5 disk. WOWSERS! We took HUNDREDS of photo's on those disks and we had them all labeled and saved in cute little boxes in the office.
One day the camera wasn't happy anymore and suddenly the shock hit - OMG! These new camera's don't save to disk. They save to memory cards or memory sticks? What do we do with all those disks NOW? Oh wait, when you upgrade the computer they no longer include a floppy drive in those new computers either. Lordy! If its not one thing its another eh?
So technology does affect how & when you organize - especially in this digital age. The fun part is that no one really knows for sure how long all these Cd's, DVD's etc are really going to be good for. Sometimes the old paper & pencil doesn't seem so bad eh?
Organizing your genealogy is a process that you will think & rethink over the years, but its certainly one that will require your attention at some point. My best advice to you is to ask lots of questions, expect lots of answers. Mull them over & then decide what works best for you. Maybe a combination of this one & that one. Maybe all this one. Whatever works for you is what is best. If it doesn't work the way you want, you won't use it.
Today is the beginning of Relatively Speaking - Cousins Who Blog. I encourage you to stop by the main post for today over at Carol's. This will be a weekly blog appearing every Monday at one of the three cousins blogs. Next Monday, Anne over at Gene notes will be doing the honors. So stop by and give a read. You just never know what we'll be discussing next!
Happy Researching!
Karen
09 October 2009
Review Review Review
As those of you who follow my blog know I've been working on a massive organization of all my files, specifically those I've had in large notebooks. The notebooks have been taken apart and all pages are being gone over, as my grandmother used to say, "with a fine tooth comb".
20 years ago when I started doing genealogy alot of my "copies" were made by my personal copy machine..aka my hand - I did alot of writing notes & sources - especially when in courthouses. Money was a wee bit tight but still wanting the info I took tons of notes.
Many of those notes & sources are laying here, part of this reorganization project. Its amazing the things I am finding in those notes that did not fit then but oh boy do they fit now! Marriages of couples that I had not gotten together before suddenly have full marriage dates - and some of those early deaths - you know the ones before "official" death certificates? Well I had pages of those, hand written complete with age at time of deaths, place of death and cause of death.
Obviously some great finds in those old 20 year old handwritten notes. I guess the whole story here boils down to three words...
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!
Happy Researching!
Karen
20 years ago when I started doing genealogy alot of my "copies" were made by my personal copy machine..aka my hand - I did alot of writing notes & sources - especially when in courthouses. Money was a wee bit tight but still wanting the info I took tons of notes.
Many of those notes & sources are laying here, part of this reorganization project. Its amazing the things I am finding in those notes that did not fit then but oh boy do they fit now! Marriages of couples that I had not gotten together before suddenly have full marriage dates - and some of those early deaths - you know the ones before "official" death certificates? Well I had pages of those, hand written complete with age at time of deaths, place of death and cause of death.
Obviously some great finds in those old 20 year old handwritten notes. I guess the whole story here boils down to three words...
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!
Happy Researching!
Karen
21 September 2009
Monday Madness
Usually Monday madness is about a line that you have that drives you nuts. Although I do have a few of those type lines, today's madness is more about organization and the options that come with a re-organization of genealogy files.
The dilema? To pitch or not?
With 20 years of genealogy documentation stored in my office - sometimes things get out of hand. I go down to the husband's office and I think "gee look at all this clutter", of course he claims he knows where everything is, but from all the times I hear, "Karen, do you know where __________ is?", I must admit I do wonder.
My office on the other hand is organized, although at times a bit cluttered. Its all the research, I just get so into it, soon I have twelve books, three files and more all on my desk. This documentation is in notebooks and in my filing cabinets.
With the re-organization project I am hoping to eliminate some of the clutter. NO, I do not want to get rid of my books, but the large cumbersome notebooks and alot of the file folders I would love to get rid of. Of course doing this brings some questions to mind.
The dilema? To pitch or not?
With 20 years of genealogy documentation stored in my office - sometimes things get out of hand. I go down to the husband's office and I think "gee look at all this clutter", of course he claims he knows where everything is, but from all the times I hear, "Karen, do you know where __________ is?", I must admit I do wonder.
My office on the other hand is organized, although at times a bit cluttered. Its all the research, I just get so into it, soon I have twelve books, three files and more all on my desk. This documentation is in notebooks and in my filing cabinets.
With the re-organization project I am hoping to eliminate some of the clutter. NO, I do not want to get rid of my books, but the large cumbersome notebooks and alot of the file folders I would love to get rid of. Of course doing this brings some questions to mind.
- If I have entered a will in its entiretity and scanned & linked the image do I need to keep the copy in the notebook?
- How about obits? How about death certificates?
- Does it matter if its an original or a copy?
- Should I save the documentation on the direct line only?
These notebooks are big & bulky - and now empty. Everything is out & in stacks on my floor as I scan and type, double checking everything as I go.
How about you? How do YOU handle this sort of stuff? Do you have your documentation scanned into your computer? Did you keep the originals? I'd love to hear your solutions to these things!
Its a discussion worth Monday madness for sure!
Happy researching!
Karen
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