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In today's Ancestry Daily News GEorge Morgan had some ideas to help with our
genealogy and make our lives a little more interesting. They seem pretty
good to me and I thought I'd share them with you.
Happy New Year!
Sharon
Beyond the Index
Thinks to Do in 2005
by Michael John Neill
The end of a year means another one is headed in. With that in mind, our
last "Beyond the Index" column in 2004 contains a list of things to do in 2005.
Contact Offline Relatives
Recent work on two of my families has reminded me that a significant number
of my relatives do not have e-mail or cannot be initially be contacted
electronically. As several of these individuals may hold the key to additional
generations of ancestry, they will have to be contacted. One of my goals in 2005
is to write letters to these individuals in an attempt to gain family history
information. Are there relatives you have not contacted in your search for
family history information? Are any of these relatives "offline?" Hesitating
to contact them may result in them being permanently unavailable when you "get
around to it."
Identify People in Pictures
This is something I almost always mention when giving a lecture or a
workshop, because I believe it is one thing that almost every genealogist probably
needs to do. Even though I have gone through my pictures many times, I still
have a few pictures that include people who cannot be identified. My first
priority in 2005 is to talk to those individuals who are most likely to know the
people in the pictures. And of course, I will write on the cardboard backing
of these photographs with a media that is archive safe, not a ball-point
pen.
Tie up Loose Ends
I have several files, ancestors, and e-mails where a lead or a loose end has
been left dangling. Life does get in the way. Before I forget completely or
start work on additional projects, I will follow these leads. Who knows,
perhaps the answers to my questions will lead to even more information than I
expected?
Enter Data
There are stacks of copies and documents in my files that have yet to be
entered into my computer database. I know there are few people in this situation
(grin!). Before I spend hours or days accumulating new information it would
be a good idea to incorporate this un-entered data into my computer files. In
the case of some of the non-English speaking families I was working on, I
have actually wasted time by not entering the data shortly after I obtained it.
While working with the Swedish and Belgian records discussed in some of this
year's earlier columns, I became reasonably adept at translating simple
church records. I have lost that skill in the interim and will have to re-learn
before entering the information into my database. Wasted time is lost time and
we never get it back.
Write a Biography
While I have long known that this is an excellent organizational tool and a
great way to share and preserve information, I have been lax in composing
biographical information on my ancestors. To create less work and less
confusion, the first biography will be for an ancestor I'm already working on.
Starting an additional project will only mean one more thing that does not get
finished!
Learn about the Language
Incorrect spellings of names and locations present a significant hindrance
to the researcher. This problem is exacerbated when the ancestral family does
not speak the language in which the records are written. I think there may be
a few cases where I would have better chance of success if I were more
familiar with how words were pronounced in the native language of my ancestors,
particularly their names and the village or town in which they were born.
Foreign language dictionaries and texts are one place to learn this information.
Read More Local and Regional History
Learning about the area where an ancestral family lives always offers the
researcher insight into the day-to-day lives of our family members. This
knowledge also can help to solve difficult research problems. One goal in 2005 is
to read and learn more about some of the eras and locations in which my
various families lived.
Review Old Problems
Regular readers of the Ancestry Daily News know that I have a few old
problems that have plagued me for years. As 2005 begins, I will look some of these
problems. In certain cases it may be a good idea for me to "restart" my work
on these lines, beginning from scratch as much as possible. If I have not
already done so, I should consider creating chronologies, maps, and timelines
for the people and families involved in these problems. I should reread
research guides to the locations where these people lived and see if any new
materials have been published or developed that might be applicable to the problem.
Stay Focused
Working on too many lines at one time will only confuse me. A better
approach is to work on one location or ethnic group at a time. If I decide to focus
on my wife's Swedish lineage, I would be better served by doing the Swedish
data entry, the Swedish research, the reading about Swedish culture and
history, and the learning about Swedish pronunciations at the same time. It can be
terribly confusing working on several lines at the same time and the problem
is only compounded when the families under study were living in different
times in different places and speaking different languages.
Do Something Non-Genealogical
There is a world outside of genealogy. Sometimes this world includes our
living family members. Reading a non-genealogy book, keeping in touch with other
family members, and pursuing non-genealogical activities will make your
family history search seem like less of a job and reduce your "genealogy stress
level." And the less stressed we are while researching, the more effective and
the happier we are. And isn't that what it is all about!
Happy Hunting in 2005!