Ancestry Dot Com Made Me A Lazy Genealogist

It's true. I am a bit ashamed to admit it. Lazy. Not that I didn't know how to research outside of Ancestry, they just make it so darned easy to search "one and done". I'm a bit embarrassed that I fell into that trap, but now I'm coming clean.

When I was a newbie Ancestry was a BSO that, in my uneducated world was the "Great and Powerful Oz". EVERYTHING I needed was there, and oh-so-easy to access. Who needs records and proof when you have all these amazing family trees! Copy, click, done. Solved all my grandmother's Brick Walls in a matter of hours. Holla and High Five!

(I know many of you are laughing right about now. Slapping your thigh and saying "yeah, me too, been there, done that, got the mess to prove it")

I really cut my genealogical teeth when I tackled my paternal line. A great uncle had done a bit of

research, but for the most part I was sailing into uncharted territory. Ancestry was no help. Oh sure, there were census records, an occasional military record - but thankfully (really, the Genealogy Gods were working overtime on this one) not one single family tree! Not one! Alrighty then.

I dug in and got to work. I read over all the notes my dad had gathered over the years about his ancestors and plugged what I knew into a new tree. On Ancestry. I still like their ease-of-use style, for me it works. I utilized Family Search, I joined Yahoo Groups (this was pre-Facebook, btw), I used all the free and helpful little websites that I could find. I emailed genealogical societies, I wrote letters to cemeteries, I stalked living people with the surnames I was researching in the locations I was researching. I went "old school". And it worked! All my research was by my own hand. All the information I had obtained I could source. I was feeling mighty good.

High on my success with my paternal line, I ambitiously decided to revisit my maternal side.

Oh dear Lord. My mind was boggled. I saw the mess I had created with my clickophile ways and I wept. Overwhelmed, I walked away.

For several more years I dug deeper on my paternal line and just put the mess of my maternal line on the back burner for "someday".

Enter Thomas MacEntee and his Great Genealogy Do Over of 2015. "Someday" had arrived.

Never one to back away once the gauntlet has been thrown, I buckled in for the toughest genealogy ride of my life. And because one can not have too many challenges in their life at once, I also committed to the 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks writing challenge.

Now, getting back to the point of this post.

January 1, 2015. I began a mass execution of all the "ancestors" I had added to my grandmother's solid research, leaving just her work and the work I or my cousin had done that was provable. (Don't gasp - I did save a complete copy of the whole mess prior to the reaping "just in case".) I targeted my 52 ancestors writings on some of my grandmother's brick walls. And I let my Ancestry subscription expire. (I know, rogue move, now I am at the mercy of my own wits!)

At first I was frightened. And angry at Ancestry for being so expensive and having "all the records", until I gave myself a good talking to. Again thanks to Thomas MacEntee and the Do Over, I had a really nice tool kit of resources. I had many Facebook groups that I could post queries to, and I had the knowledge I had acquired from my research on my paternal side. I can DO this! The few resources/hints that popped up on my Ancestry tree (that are now hidden behind a pay wall) I am able to access merely by going to my public library. And I can even send the records home via email to be downloaded in their full glory! But that's not the lesson here.

IF I had still had a subscription to Ancestry this week while I was researching my 2nd great grandmother I may have stopped there. My grandmother had written a small bio on her that may well have been enough for me to write my blog post. Her parents were brick walls for my grandmother and there were really no record hints on Ancestry that were even correct. I had long ago turned off hints from other trees, but even looking at those showed a confusing mix of possibilities.

I went to Google and I posted on Facebook the two things I wanted clarification on prior to publishing my post and hit the motherload! I got just enough possible leads and confirmation that I was on the right track, to prompt me to dig deep into my Tool Kit and search, search, search. Not only did I get my answers, I got eight more generations of my family and busted one of my grandmother's brick walls! Church Lady dance ensued in the ol' Genealogy Cave!

And a humbled genealogist was reminded that there are no shortcuts. That good genealogy is "old school" genealogy. That this former member of the Look It Up Club almost failed to live by the motto "we never guess we look it up", or in this case quit looking if it's not on Ancestry.

Genealogy Do Over ReCap: Driving It Home (with one headlight)

Here we are. Final week of the Great Genealogy Do Over of 2015. For some reason the American storyteller Jean Shepherd keeps popping into my head. How would Shep have told this tale? It would have made us laugh, that's for sure. And wince. And nod in agreement.

My tale was one wrought with much weeping. And angst. And humor. You've got to have humor. The reference to "one headlight" in the title is an apropo joke for me and a few select inner circle compadres. (and all my Facebook friends, truth be told)

Oh all right, you are really my inner circle now too. I'll share.

Mid-way through my whining and weeping trip through the Genealogy Do Over I had my highly anticipated cataract surgery. Well, let's just say things were not a "snap" for me, as so many others have reported. Nope. My eyesight actually got worse, much worse. Seeing through 'one headlight' worse. Oh, don't worry - they say it can be fixed.

With laser surgery.

In about 10 weeks.

Meanwhile they were ready to proceed as scheduled and 'fix' the other eye.

This week.

Um, no.

So here I am in my Cave with one good eye and one that is growing more and more out of focus with each passing day. It is ever more difficult to see, to type, to do all the things I love to do.

Kinda like the Do Over. (You remember the Do Over? This is a post about the Do Over.)

I thought my research was OK. I thought I had things under control and organized. A few minor tweaks was all I needed, really.

Bwaaaahaaaahaaaa .......

At week three I hit my first bump in the road and have been limping along ever since. I almost quite several times. I dug in my heels, cried and declared this whole exercise "too hard".

Who wants to do dumb old genealogy anyway?

But then something happened.

I went back to the beginning, again. (It is, after all, the very best place to start) I started from scratch. Fresh, clean, new. It felt good!

It felt DAMN good!

I opened and actually used the Research Log Spreadsheet (did you hear me? I USED the spreadsheet!!!) I started to really organize all the downloads, photos, data, links that were scattered in more places than I care to admit on my computer. I started scanning the family photos and putting them in their proper places on my computer - and my backup.

I still find myself chasing after BSO's and shaking my fist at the Genealogy gods, who often sit perched upon my shoulder, mocking my attempts at serious Cave work. But I am making progress. Small, perhaps even 'unseen by the naked eye' progress, but every day I move a bit closer, move one more file, add one more name.

Inch by inch.

....................... with one headlight.

Who's ready for more?!

Genealogy Do Over: Week .... oh, just forget it!

What week is it? Ten? What made me think that I could possibly keep up?  I am just back from morning cataract surgery, typing with one eye, reading through all the posts on the Facebook group, feeling like a failure. Or at least a slacker. The kid at the back of the class shooting rubberbands at the blackboard. Doodling when I should be paying attention.

My life got enormously busy the day I committed to this Do Over. Why is that? What in the universe is triggered when an intense time commitment is made? I was looking for things to do last year. I had plenty of time to commit to something like this. Then BAM! Just like The Truman Show, Ed Harris from his mysterious control room cues anything and everything to be thrown into my path, thwarting all attempts at glorious completion! Harumph.

(No. I don't actually believe Ed Harris is behind this. But on the other hand ....)

One of my stumbling blocks has been the fact that I also decided to do the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this year. And another is the false belief I had at the beginning of the Do Over, that it was going to be a YEAR LONG process. That I might have been able to handle. The 13 week revelation just triggered weeping and hyperventilation as I tried desperately to keep up. (Oh, and the cataract surgery, but why let that stop me?!?)

Wait a minute .....

Why can't it be a year long process ....
(It can, Anne, you had this revelation before, remember?)

Although I am really wanting to keep up with everyone, to "do" the do over within the prescribed 13 weeks. To be an active and up-to-speed member of the group, that clearly is not my reality. There is so much information to read through, digest, learn, try out, that I do believe I just may begin at the beginning on April 4. Only this time I will do Week One for the entire month of April, Week Two during May, etc.

Now this! THIS just might work!!! (she snorts, under her breath, to herself)

What ever I need to tell myself. (again)

I still feel like somewhat of a failure. Like the kid held back a grade. But genealogy is a process not a destination, right? And we all work at our own speed. And judging by all the posts to the Group I am certainly not alone! Sometimes I feel like I am in a race, but who am I competing with? Myself? What's that about?

And my vacillating on my HOW, all-in or modified. Some days I'm chucking it all, getting new software and starting from scratch, other days the modified participation seems the way to go - why reinvent the wheel? But my wheel is really more of an octagon than circular - it rolls, but it lurches along, a bumpy and sometimes confusing ride. (I have a bunch of Tidewater Virginia kin in my tree - need I say more??)

What I need is a Genealogy Geanie. One rub on the magic lamp and all my problems vanish - my trees in perfect order! Just imagine!

No, what I really need is to get out of the Cave more often, I'm starting to sound just a wee bit crazy .....

The Most Fabulous Object: My Love Affair With The Genealogy Do-Over FB Group

I love the Genealogy Do Over Facebook Group. I lurk there day and night. I keep up with posts on my smartphone. (Which I almost never actually use as a phone - I call it my Magic Portal) I spend hours upon hours hunkered in my Cave scrolling through posts, face illuminated by the computer screen. Eyes bleary from staring and forgetting to blink. (It's a known fact ...) Bookmarking links, LIKEing posts, commiserating.

This is the BEST GROUP EVER! The ultimate BSO! You are all just like me!! Crazy (in a good way) genealogy people! You have Caves. You have an encyclopedic knowledge of people dead since the 1700's. (No longer living anyway - my ancestors are always crowding my Cave like an overstuffed elevator, bickering and poking at each other, looking over my shoulder and pompously withholding the key piece of information I am searching for.)

I have learned so much from this group. And everyone is so helpful. Genealogy is ultimately a solitary pursuit unless you are lucky enough to have a relative who is also obsessed. But still, that relative, unless a sibling, is only interested in part of the family.

I am not nearly as far along with my official Do Over as I had naively believed I would be back on January 2. But I have learned some new techniques. Considered different perspectives. Been both encouraged and gravely discouraged (weeping, lots of weeping ..). Discovered I am not alone. Discovered that the more I learn, the more there is to learn. (My mind boggles!!) Had to come to terms with the knowledge that I still need to apply the tools being presented. And that requires stepping out of my comfort zone, trying some things out and formulating my own conclusion as to what is right for me.

Oh, and this miraculous transformation was NOT going to happen in 13 weeks.

But I'm OK with that.

Now.

I was experiencing information overload. I was a crazed madwoman prone to bouts of spontaneous weeping. And my paper bag had developed a hole from overuse. I was living in my bathrobe in my Cave. Only emerging when necessary. (My idea of 'necessary', and that of other's differed greatly for some reason ...)

So today I am thrilled, and grateful for being a welcomed member of this amazing group. I am glad Thomas, in a bout of mad genius (?), crafted this Do Over and released it to a naive and unsuspecting audience. Eager to Do It Over, but not entirely aware of the trials and tribulations to come.

I may not be as far along as some of you. I may be farther along than others. I am working at my own pace now, taking what I need and knowing that all that glorious information and the wonderful group members will be there when the time is right for me.

I lurk and learn every day, but now I am free to leave my Cave.

I'll get there.

I am getting there.

Genealogy is never "done", anyway. ("Hey!! I finished my family tree!!! Think I'll bake a pie, and maybe rotate the tires.")

And I'm so very happy that this whole magnificent adventure will roll on for another 13 weeks ...

See you 'round the clubhouse, er, I mean Group!

FTM Is The Devil (sorry RW): Genealogy Do-Over Week Seven

Week Seven.

The week I have been waiting for!

The week you all are going to tell me which genealogy software I'm going to love AND use.

No. No, I can't decide. I want you to do it for me. Please??

I began my journey with Family Tree Maker back in the early 90's. I never really used it. It didn't make sense to me. When Ancestry first showed up I embraced it's ease of use and dove in.  I LOVED it!! I built my entire empire in Ancestry.com. I loved that I could access it anywhere, any time. I loved it's visual appeal. I loved the design of it - it made sense to me. Then I started hearing about the foolishness of having all your work stored off site - in someone else's database. What if Ancestry should go belly-up? Then what?

I purchased an updated, 21st century version of FTM thinking it would simulate the ease of use that Ancestry provided. It still didn't make sense. I never used it.

FTM - the devil

Then Ancestry came out with Tree-Sync and I began to get 'visions of sugarplums' dancing 'round my head. I liked the idea of Tree Sync! I could do all my work on Ancestry.com and then sync it to FTM - saved on my home computer.

I purchased the upgrade.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

In reality, what has transpired is one big fat mess. One GIANT mess that I don't even want to THINK about, as it will require mindboggling hours of tediously deleting the triplicate records that have crossed over. TRIPLICATE! In ALL my synced trees (of course I synced them all!!)

And even with the new upgrade, I still hated FTM. It still didn't make any sense. It still seemed hard to use. (I know you are asking yourself right this very second, why Anne, why did you continue down this path of  perpetual error?) I don't know. FTM would not even work correctly on my brand new Win8.1 laptop (which I also detest - but that's a rant for another time).  I was forced to uninstall it and reinstall it on my desktop (this is where the triple records problem originated). Either I didn't have a clue or there is no good way to remove all the synced trees from one computer and re-sync them to another computer. I am so angry with it now I doubt I will ever agree to use it again.

And all the money I wasted! All the time! All the frustration!

FTM is the devil.

And I STILL don't have an off-line program.

Afraid of recreating my previous experience I have refrained from pursuing that activity.

Until now.

Now it is a topic point, now it is something to look at, study, compare and pursue.

So, here's where you all come to my rescue, right?

footnote: I see this same problem over and over again on synced trees on Ancestry.com. Duplicate, triplicate, quadruple records. I am the first to admit that I am just slightly above clueless when it comes to many aspects of the whole computer "thing", but there has got to be a better way! Dang it!

Genealogy Do Over: Recap or How I Got HERE: Part Two

And now for some good news.

I've spent a lot of time dragging my heels, complaining, weeping.

But I have actually accomplished a few things.

This Do Over has been hard. Harder than I imagined. Mostly because of my own inability to stay focused. Stay on task. Allow enough time.

And, there's the wanting to do it all. NOW.

And, of course my squirrell like attention span when there is something I don't want to do because it is not F.U.N. (ahem ... spreadsheet anyone??)

So, here is what I have accomplished over these past seven weeks.

• I set all previous research aside on the portion of my tree that needed the do over. I isolated the branch and am in the process of stripping it bare of all frivolous willy-nilly 'ancestors' I have no proof of. I decided to keep the original research my grandmother had done in tact and build from there - correctly this time. (Week 1)
• I already had some good base practices set from my experience working my paternal line. I had learned a lot of what to do and what not to do and have become a much better researcher because of it. (Week 1)
• My research goal was/is to clean up and well document my maternal line. (Week 2)
• I have been tracking searches with notes and comments attached to the individual ancestor's information page - this seems easiest for me, but I did create a series of notebooks to also do some written documentation. (Week 4)
• I have a nice bookmark "tool kit" going in a subfolder under my Genealogy bookmark tab - so I felt pretty good when this topic arrived! (Week 5)
• I also have been very meticulous at citing sources more recently, learning the hard way what happens when you think you'll "remember". A practice I will carry forward! (Week 5)
• I have also been very good at evaluating evidence. So I feel good about this one too! (Week 6)
• I have begun another bookmark with online education opportunities and have attempted to watch at least one podcast a week. (Week 6)

Huh. Look at that. In reviewing my accomplishments at this 'half-way' point I realize I actually have made some progress. The "hard" stuff (for me) is still left to do, but I seem to have a good handle on some of the other topics and assignments. Alright. Ok.

Yet I still feel lost.

Behind.

Overwhelmed.

I have hours and months of work ahead of me cleaning up and removing "ancestors" that never should have been claimed in the first place. It is a daunting task - one I tip-toed around for years. I still believe it is easier (if easier is the right word for this sort of tedious task) to remove than to re build. Who knows, I may chuck it all in a fit of frustration one afternoon, but for now I plug away like an assassin killing off long dead un-relatives. 

And there's the whole spreadsheet thing (let's not go there, I was feeling so accomplished!).

To be continued .....

Genealogy Do Over: Recap or How I Got HERE: Part One

Genealogy Do Over - Restart Button

Well, well, well. Here it is Week Seven. Where am I?

Stuck somewhere back in Week Three or Four.

I lost it. Lost total control. Everything was moving way too fast and my mind was reeling. I kept a paper bag on my desk in my Cave for the increasingly frequent bouts of hyperventilation.

And I wept.

Genealogy is hard ...... When you do it right .....

But here I am. Back in the Cave. Reviewing the topics of the previous weeks. Making yet another checklist of what I did and what is still left to be done.

And, as providence would dictate, these past two weeks I have been flooded with replies to old (some very old) message board posts and new DNA matches - BSO's that distracted me, caught my eye, sucked me in. Took me off course and down the rabbit hole.

Why is it so easy to follow that darn rabbit!?!

Seems I need to recommit. Seems this is a recurring theme. Seems I need to learn some focus.

Or make another checklist.

So. Back to the beginning I go. To the beginning of the year and my grandiose plan of cleaning up my maternal lineage.  I have been avoiding this for several years, as you may know from reading some of my previous posts. The Do Over was my savior. The thing I needed to kick my butt into action. Alas, it is a self-guided course, and I am famous for guiding myself to the coffee pot, facebook, pinterest, what the neighbors are doing next door .......

The beauty of this is that with each "restart" I have made a bit of progress. Each time I "restart" I am a little farther along. I have a bit of new knowledge and a new technique or two under my belt (or should I say in my tool kit).

As I review the past seven weeks I feel terribly lost. Terribly behind. Terribly inadequate. I glance at my paper bag feeling the twinge of overwhelmedness. I pull it together and begin to make a list of all I still need to do:

• Interview the living / conduct self-interview        (Week 2)
• Stupid spreadsheet - stupid, stupid spreadsheet, er, I mean Research Log (Week 3)
• Another stupid, stupid spreadsheet - um, Project and Task Log (Week 4)
• 
  

Wait? That's it?

So what has clearly been holding me up and creating undue anxiety and pig-headedness is the SPREADSHEET!  The elephant in the room that I am trying very hard to ignore as I squeeze past to get to my comfy Cave chair.

Well, if that's all it is maybe I need to just turn my focus on creating this Spreadsheet. I already have the template on my computer...... I'll just go grab a cup of coffee .....

And take a quick peek out the window .....

The Sinking Ship - Genealogy Do Over: Week 6

The SS Genealogy Do Over is going down!

So here it is Week 6. The ship is seriously taking on water, or is it the Kraken? I can't be sure at this point. After weeks adrift I believe I am beginning to hallucinate. For a stretch of time there last week I believed I was pointed in the right direction and that my compass was working. Today however I fear I may never reach shore.

The spreadsheet Kraken takes the ship.

Alright. It's not really that bad. Really. I have made some progress. And I have digressed. I have decided to quite genealogy altogether in a momentary lapse of reason, only to have my hopes renewed by something someone said in the Do Over Group. It is very much akin to sailing a choppy sea.

This week I feel is sort of a breather. I have been reviewing my sources and evaluating my evidence already on the new trees I am building, so I feel I am on track there. I dropped the ball on citing sources last week, I was so busy playing with my tool kit. I have a long way to go, and oh so much to do!

This week I hope to make a little headway on creating (and actually using) my Research Log and Master Project Spreadsheet. I am still balking at the spreadsheet. It's a brand new animal for me (a Kraken?) and I'm having a hard time beginning.

A very hard time.

A painfully hard time.

I'm a pencil and paper kind of gal. I think I might use these PDF forms instead. I can do that. I will do that.

You can hold me accountable.

And toss me a life jacket.

I will not go down with the ship!

Tool Kit? Yes, I Have a Tool Kit: Genealogy Do Over Week 5

Well now!! Finally one I have accomplished! Or  have the beginnings of anyway. I just got done organizing my genealogy email inbox, setting up folders and sub folders to park all my interesting tidbits; correspondence, good link lists, etc. Now it's time to clean up and organize my bookmarks!

And what great advice Thomas gave about making sure the links still work. Brilliant. That is one I may not have thought of. This week is going to be easier for me, this is something I can do. (Really. I know I've said it before, but this time I mean it) This is something I don't have to learn. And I love to organize!

The second task this week is to begin to cite sources if you have not done so already. This is something I have actually been going back and redoing little by little over the past year or so. For the Do Over I vowed to re look at my grandmother's Big Box of Stuff and make the appropriate notations in my research where I have acquired the information from her years of sleuthing. I then hope to go back and reprove her findings if she has not listed her source. (I must admit - she was very good at listing sources, I am not as good at reading through all her notations ...) I have not been using a log up to now, I have just been writing notes on each ancestors profile. The log is something I would like to get up and running. It will make it much easier to see where I'm good, and where I need to do further research. All in one place.

So much to do!!

After my melt down and subsequent epiphany last week, I feel I am in a much better place. With the realization that this 13 week Do over is a course of learning, and not a list of tasks that need to be ticked off and accomplished that week I am able to take a breath, take notes, evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and move forward.

I'm still going to use notebooks. I like to write things down. I will start to play with the Research Log and Project and Task Log. It may end up being on paper too .... we'll see. I will make no promises and will undoubtedly change my mind several times.

But I'm beginning to see a light where I once saw darkness.

Sure hope it's not a train ......

There Will Be Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth: Genealogy Do-Over Recap: Weeks 1 - 4

What have I gotten myself into? I like a good challenge as much as the next gal but I am really feeling in over my head here. In my other (non-genealogy) life I am in the middle of leaving one position (read steady paycheck) and beginning a new chapter in my life as my own boss. (Again) Not much stress there, right?  Throw in the Mercury Retrograde, a colonoscopy, scheduling cataract surgery. winter, old dogs, not one, but two genealogy challenges, and a slew of other everyday stuff we all have to deal with, and there will be weeping. And gnashing of teeth. And more weeping.

There is so much information being discussed in the facebook Do-Over group that I can't keep up. And so much of it is over my head! I admit to being a technology toddler. I though I had a pretty good knowledge of genealogy, I've been at it since the 70's, but it's all on paper and hurts my head to think of how I am going to get it all into the programs people are talking about.

I downloaded Dropbox. I downloaded Evernote. Now I have these cute icons on my computer! Yay me! I have a new Win8.1 laptop that I can't figure out. I had hoped to install FTM (latest version) on it and finally learn how to use the darn program. But when I did it made the computer all wonky. So I uninstalled it. And installed it on my Win 7 desktop. GREAT. Now all my Ancestry synced trees have at least three entries for each Timeline item. Awesome. More weeping.

I love genealogy. I would do it 24 hours 7 days a week. I don't love all the stuff I'm not understanding. It is making me angry. And frustrated. And really, really stressed out. Which is the opposite of what a hobby is supposed to be.

My ultimate goal (from Week 2) with this Do-Over is to have a true, clean, sourced and correct pedigree. This will take some time. Perhaps lots of time. Perhaps years of time. It won't/can't happen in just 13 weeks. And I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to.

I got so caught up in the excitement, the flood of new information, the possibilities of doing it over. Of imagining that it would be just that easy, that I could undo all my mistakes in 13 weeks and come out the other side with a sparkly new true and genuine pedigree.

But here's the thing ....

That will never happen. It's not supposed to.

My Aha! moment came this afternoon, after both weeping and gnashing of teeth. This 13 weeks is a classroom to learn new things. To take notes. To try some new techniques. To do a little or a lot. To take what you like and leave the rest. NOT to redo your pedigree. That comes later. After the learning.

I feel like I have been in a wrestling match these last four weeks. Trying to figure out what was right for me. Trying to keep up. Trying to master everything that was being presented, immediately. Spending untold hours on facebook reading post after post until well into the night. Weeping.

Clearly I had become gluttonous, I had attempted to eat the entire elephant in one sitting. I had  forgotten what I had vowed here,
and here.



The clouds parted, the sun shone, and the angels sang this afternoon when I had my epiphany. I am taking a deep breath, a giant step backward and a hands-off approach to the remainder of the Do-Over. I will still lurk in the Do-Over group, but I will not become overwhelmed. I will read the assignment/lesson plan/syllabus for the week and make notes, but I will not become overwhelmed. I will start at the beginning, again.                   And take
                                One bite at a time ......

That is how you eat an elephant.

Not Enough Hours In The Day: Genealogy Do-Over Week 4

ARGH!!!! I am feeling the effects of information overload coupled with way too much to do in my non-genealogy life.

Thirteen weeks? Not nearly enough time!! The next two months I'll be lucky to get even two hours a week alone in my Genealogy Cave. My organization has turned to chaos as I write post-it after post-it of need-to-do's.

I feel my digital files are not well enough organized. I'm still finding the odd photo or document not in it's proper place. (post-it to make time to sort through all docs and pics on computer) My interviews? Well, how am I supposed to interview everyone on my list in a week!? (post-it to find email address of relatives, draft email, send email) I have committed to learn to use the dreaded spreadsheet. (post-it to learn how to use a spreadsheet) I want to create a set of documents to store notes, to-do's, etc. on my computer instead of hand writing everything (post-it to created docs for plan, to-do list, etc) Learn to use Dropbox (post-it to learn to use Dropbox) .... well, you get the idea.

I feel like I'm swimming against the current. Working hard and getting nowhere.

So today I decided to be realistic. This is not a competition. This is a learning process. I want to take my time, slow down and really focus on each step for as long as it takes. My ultimate goal with the Do-Over is to have a well sourced, true pedigree. One I can proudly upload publically knowing it is 100% correct.

And that will take some time.

This afternoon I made a fresh pot of coffee and dialed up the Genealogy Do-Over web post from Legacy. I felt a great weight lift from my shoulders as Thomas reassured us that this will take time. That life will happen. That it might take 13 weeks, 13 months or 13 years ..... and that's OK. 

Yes, yes it IS OK. I'm OK. It's all good. (and I can throw away that post-it about spreadsheets!)

So, I'm back at the beginning, taking one bite at a time, doing what I can, when I can. The difference is now I have a support group and some great tools to use, so when life takes my attention I'll have a documented place to again pick up the quest. No more two steps forward, one step back for me! I've got all the time I need .....

I think thirteen months is quite doable.

A Bump On A Log - Genealogy Do-Over: Week 3

My progress came to a screeching halt when I read the first requirement for this week's Do-Over task. Setting up a Genealogy Research Log... Using a spreadsheet... What?? I never, ever, used a spreadsheet before. I had heard of spreadsheets. I had actually seen one, once. I did not understand it. It frightened me. I had hoped to live my entire life without needing to know how to use one.

Seriously.

I quickly declared "that's it! I'm out!" This old dog can not possibly learn this new trick! I closed the email and went on to something safe, feeling sorry for myself. (Might as well be honest, right?) I came back later that day and decided that I might as well at least look at the file, that way I'd know for sure I was in over my head.  I cautiously opened the 'preview' and felt my fears confirmed. What was I looking at? It didn't make any sense! I began to weep. (You may notice this is a reaction I have to things I don't understand) And burn with anger, "how can people possibly understand this!" I exclaimed. "I'm definitely out. There is no point". Off I went to something safe again.

the horrible-spreadsheet-monster-that-I-don't-understand

Later I decided to post to the Genealogy Do-Over Facebook group my conundrum. I received several responses all with helpful  answers. First, I was not seeing the tabs on the bottom of the document which pretty much laid everything out. I did not need to create anything, just fill in some blanks. Oh!

Well, I still was not having any part of it. Looked too complicated. I like to write things out by hand. I went off to do something safe, again.

Jump forward several days. And several views of the horrible-spreadsheet-monster-that-I-don't-understand, and I'm beginning to think that maybe I can do this ..... maybe. Maybe this old dog can actually learn a new trick. It would be nice to have all my notes in one place, all my research goals neatly packaged in one form. With one name. That I can quickly locate.

I'll give it a try.

                            What can it hurt?

                                                                Guess I'm back 'in'!

Genealogy Do-Over: Week Two - Interview The Living

This week we are asked to set research goals, interview ourselves and interview our family members.  I have talked about my research goals here.  So, it's on to interviews. I have begun to write about myself. I chose the first person, autobiographical style. Seeing as I am living I have chosen to keep that interview to myself. I am fortunate to have in my possession group sheets my grandmother had filled out when she was researching. I have letters from her cousins, aunts, etc too that she had contacted in working her genealogy. Since I am doing my do over solely on my maternal line I will focus on those relatives.

My Maternal Grandparents Robert and Elizabeth Thomas c.1927

There were four children in my mother's family. My mother and one brother are the only two still living, having lost her oldest brother almost 25 years ago, and her older sister several years ago.  There are 14 grandchildren, my cousins, 12 of us are still alive. Scattered across the country from Wisconsin to California, and points in between. What is very awesome is that my (still living) uncle has spent the last 10 years writing his autobiography. My mother has a draft copy that I plan to borrow as part of my interview process.  My cousin, the daughter of this uncle, and I have been collaborating for nearly 6 years on family research. We have been in contact with our cousins in the past, but I will make another attempt to see what I can learn. You never know!

This exercise has, if nothing else, focused my attention on learning the whereabouts of all my cousins, one set considerably older than I.  And perhaps, the siblings of my maternal grandparents and their children and grandchildren. Sometimes going that far sideways gleans some very good information. I plan to draft a set of questions to send to each cousin that I hope will spark some memories and will be enjoyable for them to answer. Not everyone loves genealogy like I do. (I know, right!? Hard to imagine!)

I did do a similar thorough search when I was working my father's side. He was an only child so I had no aunts, uncles or cousins. I reached out to the all the living children of our common great grandfather only to discover that I had more historical information than any of them. However, I did get some "new" relatives out of it and a bunch of great family stories I had never heard before. We still keep in touch. The bonus for me, I got a whole new family with my surname and DNA that I never had growing up as the daughter of an only.

Even if I don't get any good new information, I will be reestablishing ties with my living blood relatives, which is always a good thing.

Pruning The Tree: Genealogy Do-Over

Since I began the Genealogy Do Over on Jan 1, I have been working on cleaning up some bad info I had linked to my tree early on in my genealogy adventure. I have decided the best way, for me, to address this issue is to break down my tree into four mini trees. One for each of my grandparents. My paternal side is mostly good, and doesn't need a complete genealogy do-over overhaul. I have set those two mini trees aside. For now.

My maternal side ..... whole different story entirely. It desperately calls for a complete re-do. BUT I did not want to mess with anything on my main tree, so I left that intact and just set it aside. I have created two sets of mini trees for my maternal grandparents. One with collateral and one direct only. I started with the direct only and began ruthlessly pruning anyone that was not either a) in my grandmother's original research or b) sourced with legitimate sources 

First to go: everyone collected from Public Family Trees. I had "relatives" as far back as the 1100's! What was I thinking? Eager newbie. Now I'm paying the price of being an enthusiastic clickophile. This will take some time.

Public Tree Hints - Oh My!!!

One problem solved.

What I am discovering is that I really like the clean, neat, direct line I am creating. I can work it. It makes sense. And I really don't care about all the offspring of my 6th great grandparents. Sorry. I just don't. I had an epiphany last night as I was pruning. With all the "One Trees" out there now, that might be the way to go for collateral relatives. Once my direct tree is cleaned and sourced I am thinking of uploading it to FamilySearch or WikiTree and using THAT as my collateral tree. 

It's a thought in progress. I could change my mind. Probably will a few times before I settle on a direction I feel most comfortable with. But it is making sense to me for the moment.

I am beginning to see a light at the end of this crazy ancestral maze I have built over the last 10 years. I wish I hadn't been so afraid of a little pruning earlier on, I might have saved myself some time and been on to better things. Ah well. Lesson learned. The hard way. This time. 

Grandma's Big Box Of Stuff: Setting Research Goals: Genealogy Do-Over

This week we are asked to set research goals.

As my Do-Over is a complete redo of my maternal lineage, this is fantastic! I inherited a big box of all my maternal grandmother's hand written research dating from the 1940's to the 1980's, when she passed away. Her handwriting is terribly hard to read so I have been putting off this task, for years! But it is the place I need to start. It has so overwhelmed me that I have ignored it, until now.

The only person who can really make sense of it is my mother. Brilliant! Why? Because we are also asked to conduct family interviews. What better way to "kill two birds" as it were, then asking my mom to read the research to me while I interview her!

This will most likely not happen this week as she lives a good distance from me and would require a long car trip to visit.

ETPT - Genealogy Queen

But I do plan on going through all the papers and making two files. One I can read, one I can't (that's where mom comes in). The research goal I am setting this week for the Do-Over, is to thoroughly document, enter, or otherwise read every shred of my grandmother's research to set a solid foundation on which to build.

My grandmother was a lot like I am. She had the entire family in her head. She could rattle off facts and knew who married whom, when, where, etc. BUT it is all written by hand or badly typed and stored in paper folders, aging very ungracefully. There is correspondence to cousins, a collection of obituaries, letters to counties and states, newspaper clippings, more. She had made a 5 gen pedigree, but her research goes back so much farther. I am grateful that she made such thorough notes. My goal is to get it all together and recorded digitally.

She would have loved this new digital age of genealogy! I know she is with me in spirit.

How I Spent Week One of the Genealogy Do Over

As Week One comes to a close I feel I made some pretty good headway in plan and organization. The tasks for the week were:

1. Setting previous research aside 
2. Preparing to research 
3. Establishing base practices and guidelines

I began the week by creating smaller "bites" of my maternal branch since this is the side that really needs a do over. For me it worked very well. I can now see what I need to do in a smaller, more contained unit. My main tree is still intact and set aside, mistakes and all, for the time being.

I spent the week deleting all undocumented 'ancestors'.  The ones I enthusiastically attached from other peoples Public Trees without a shred of documentation.  I then went through my grandmother's Big Box of Research. I sorted her written work into folders to look at later. In my tree program I made notes on the ancestors still remaining that the info was obtained from her work. I have not begun to verify this yet.

I have set up 2 notebooks (I still like to write things out), one for each parent of my mother's. I may add tabs to the sides to break down the surnames further. I plan to use these books to track my work. To document where I have looked, where I want to look, promising leads, dead ends, etc. To cite sources, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the time. (Who hasn't said "Oh! I'll remember that!"). And to take my time to examine every nook and cranny of a piece of information before I move on. It was my hasty excitement that got me into this mess in the first place!!

I think I'm ready. Bring on Week Two!

The First Bite: Genealogy Do-Over

Having jumped All In in the Great Genealogy Do-Over of 2015 I was now faced with the dilemma of where to begin. Simple you say, start at the beginning (it's the very best place to start). Advice from Alice In Wonderland popped into my head:  "Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked. 'Begin at the beginning.' the King said, gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end; then stop." Well there you have it.

But it really wasn't that simple. I had quite a lot of research that was correct. I really did not want to reinvent the wheel. My grandmother, the Genealogy Queen, had compiled a very well documented pedigree that had gotten her into the DAR, the Huguenot Society, and The Colonial Dames of America. I was NOT putting that research aside. Plus it was already entered into my Ancestry program and Family Tree Maker.

After a time of pondering, contemplation and several heated conversations with myself (what happens in the Genealogy Cave, stays in the Genealogy Cave) I have crafted the following plan:

In Family Tree Maker I created eight separate smaller trees that begin with my four grandparents and an additional one that is my maternal side only. Four of those trees are direct lineage only. Four are direct and collateral. The Maternal tree is direct and collateral and I plan to attach my mother's DNA results to this tree when it is processed.

Starting with the direct lineage trees I have begun comparing the written work my grandmother did with what I have collected. It is tedious but manageable. Today, four days in,  I have verified one surname to it's known end and deleted the names that I exuberantly added from Ancestry Public Trees with no citations attached to them.

I have learned over the years not to include ANY information that was gathered from "Family Tree Files" sources including Millenium Files, Family Data Collections and Family Trees. That is where all my trouble started.

I have also learned to slow down, take my time and do it right. None of my ancestors are going anywhere, so what's the hurry? Today it's One Bite At A Time.

I'm ready for a second helping .....

And The Second Challenge Is .... Genealogy Do-Over!

 Genealogy Do-Over!! Yes! I'm IN! This is going to be great! I am so loving this idea!! I threatened to do the very same thing last year. I Talked about it. Asked advice from other genealogy peeps on how to go about it. I got overwhelmed. And scared of hitting "delete" on all my "family", even though much of it was added with gusto from other people's trees with not a lick of proof. Ah, the newbie years!

My material grandmother was a HUGE genealogy nut - president of her Society in CA - did tons of research. I have all of her papers and notations. My first attempt at genealogy was in the 1980's with her research. I built a little (paper) tree, played with it now and then, mostly left it alone.

When my dad died in 2007 and I inherited his research (there really wasn't much) I wanted to dig deeper and learn more about my paternal side. I spent the next 7 years hand building that line. Did it mostly right, corrected mistakes as soon as they were discovered and I feel really good about the work. Busted a few brick walls, found some new cousins and started a One-Name study. My mother's side is another story entirely.

Today I am getting a DNA sample from my mom and will craft my Do Over starting with her, using the DNA results, my grandmother's notes and my now more seasoned research knowledge. Still not ready to "delete" the old work, but I will store it with a different name and remove it from my main working tree.

Can't wait to get started!!

You can read about the Do Over here:
http://www.geneabloggers.com/announcing-genealogy-doover/