Genealogy Do-Over: The Go-Over 3.4

Even though this year's Do-Over is monthly rather than weekly, I still feel like I'm scattered in too many directions sometimes. It's very hard to ignore some of the BSO's that pop up. Irish parish records free for a week, a month of FindMyPast for $1.

I HAVE to look a them! I just have to!

But I am making some headway. Every day I see a little less chaos and a little more organization.

Those files that went missing last week? Found 'em.

In my OCD organizing frenzy I moved the files to a new folder on my computer, thus confusing FTM. All is good now. Things have been restored to some semblance of sanity.

My binder project is humming right along, things that have not seen the light of day for a decade or more are being housed out in the open where I can access them. Even found some death certs I didn't know I had!

My new family group sheets are offering some great research opportunities.

I am working on my own 'story', it will be ongoing I feel.

My mother does not want to play along at the moment, and she is the only one left, so the family interviews will have to wait until I can be more stealth about it. I have been in contact with a few second cousins who have some interesting tidbits farther up the tree. It all adds to the crazy quilt of my family history. And makes for some additional research topics being added to the list of research goals.

There is still so much to do, I fear I will never see the actual light at the end of the tunnel. (Or outside the Cave)

But, let's get real. This is genealogy! It's never done!

30 x 30 Challenge: Week Three Recap - Adjusting The Sails

Well, this "challenge" is quite challenging! First week I overestimated what I could do in a half an hour, second week I oversimplified it. Here, going into week four I've adjusted the sails once again. Last week I created a Task List and have been filling in the necessary items I wish to discover. No researching! Just creating a comprehensive list to work off of.

Now, I know there are gobs and oodles of charts and lists out there. Ancestry has piles. Family Tree Maker does too. But I wanted to create something custom that worked for me.

I have been making notes in my notebooks for my 30 ancestors and I also have started to sort through all of the various paper ephemera my grandmother had collected over the years. I am filing it away in a collection of 12 binders. Eight of those binders have the parent surname pairs of my  great grandparents. I have one for my Mayflower ancestors, one for all military items, one for the rats-nest of Tidewater Virginia Families I have too many of, and one spare, for now.

A bonus of doing this sorting is the collection of note pads I've rediscovered! My old research, both positive and negative results. Now I can file that away in the appropriate ancestor binder and when it comes time to fill in my Task List I'll have everything at my fingertips.

I must confess, this is really hard. To refrain from doing the research until the sorting is complete.

But I already know I will be very happy when I do start the fun again. This time I won't be spinning my wheels or retracing my steps.

Extra bonus: seeing things with new eyes. I've already put a few things together I missed the first time around.

........................ Until next week