the Sunday Soapbox | Weighing In On Those Shaking Leaves

Michael John Neill started it all with his post: Should You Leave the Leaves Alone? Randy Seaver answered with a post of his own: Shaky Leaves and All - Are They Useful? I've been thinking about this myself. I did a post a while back titled Ancestry Dot Com Made Me A Lazy Genealogist. There are benefits, to be sure, with the program-generated hints, but like most of genealogy itself - this is simply the tip of that iceberg!

I do look at the hints. I have found some useful, some redundant, some just flat-out wrong. I have been happier with the results I've gotten at Ancestry, than at MyHeritage or FindMyPast. For me, the MyHeritage hints have been a complete waste of my time. But that's me. I have heard other's tout the wonders they have found there. I've had a bit of success with FindMyPast - when I need to "jump the pond" their records have proved useful.

I have found some interesting documents that did not show up as hints, but DID show up when I reviewed a hint. Have you noticed, off to the right on Ancestry when you choose to review a hint, there is a box with other suggested hints? It is here I have made some good finds. Why didn't these hints show up to begin with? I don't have an answer for that.

My choice is to review the leaves and consider the hints that are being presented. I (gasp!) never just attach, willy-nilly, all hints that show up. So may are wrong. Or from questionable sources. In a perfect world I would love the ability to turn off not only tree hints on Ancestry (which is a given), but also millennium files, family data collections, US and international records, US and Canada, passenger and immigration list indexes, and all photos. That would leave a much narrower field of hints, but also a much more useful field of hints.

There are a lot of duplicate records across all the major players. It can get quite wearisome to sort through the same things times and time again.

I can see both sides to this. Using the hints, and only the hints, you will miss things. You are not performing a reasonably exhaustive search, by any means. Never using the hints adds a layer of challenge, but the results of doing a manual search may be more rewarding.

As for me, I chose to use the hints to confirm the basics, the bones of a timeline. Then I dig deeper with a manual search, across multiple databases, to ferret out the gems, the nuggets that only a deeper look will uncover.

It's never one and done.  And new records are being added all the time.

The hints are tools for me, sometimes they are sharp and work well, other times they are dull and need to be passed over. As Michael said: "Your mileage may vary."

How do you use hints? Do you find them useful, or do you leave them alone? Share your thoughts below.



©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

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

30 x 30 Challenge: Week Two Recap - Success Is In Sight

Week two of my first 30 x 30 Challenge has come to a close and I feel great! I'm on task, on target, and at the point I should be.

Let me tell you, this was surprisingly difficult. You'd think staying on task for just 30 minutes a day would be easy, right?

WRONG!

Those BSO's were everywhere!

And, I have come to discover that doing something so simple as just making a list is really not that simple. I keep wanting to ACT on that list! During my 30 minute allotted time. Which was getting me seriously behind on my original goal.

So, I'd like to encourage anyone else who might be thinking of taking up their own 30 x 30 challenge - you can do it - but it may not be as simple or as easy as you first thought.

We are researchers at heart, and we want to research. Not make lists. (Or organize, or label, or sort or whatever your particular challenge might be) We want to get out "in the field" and get our hands dirty!

However, this list, this very comprehensive list will be my jumping off point for doing good, thorough, correct research in the future. And give my research direction and purpose.

I am starting to like this methodology so much that I am thinking of doing a file sorting challenge next.......

...................stay tuned

tip: I began this challenge using 4 notebooks, but have found a great editable task list template through Apache OpenOffice - when I get it set up I'll give you a peek.