I have been remiss in blogging. I'm going nuts with updating my database. Finding children, sourcing. I have to finally admit that I'm enjoying the ease of the collaboration between Rootsweb and Ancestry. It annoys me. I don't want to PAY for genealogical information. But it's SO easy..... that Rootsweb is the home for my database, it's just There. I don't know what else to say.
I'm finding sources the like I've never had before, aside from my years of Living in NC and actually going to the Lenoir Co. courthouse. Ancestry IS a bonafide resource (bummer!!!).
I still consider it a racket, to have to PAY. I am increasingly frustrated that the GenWeb is losing momentum. Why is that? Why are there not more volunteers keeping the county websites going? Back in the day, 10yrs ago, you could find a lookup for country records. Today, you're lucky to find someone even maintaining the website, much less look-ups or reliable links.
So, that's why I'm hiding from blogging. Update, clean, solidify. That's where I am these days.
I'm hoping to teach another class soon and really get back into this. I also want to join the local Gen society and start researching (albeit for their GenWeb) and transcribing for them. Because I still believe in the GenWeb. Ancestry is awesome... but the more we can promote the FREE, the volunteer... the more we are working together as a collaborative group.
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Genealogy Class #2
Tonight was the second genealogy class, finishing up where we started on Monday. Yay! The totality of this class was by-far the best class I've taught so far, and for a year of classes, 1-2 a week, that says something! Hooray!
The second class seems like it would be easier, but never quite so much. Especially because, in theory, you leave a good portion of the first of the class to questions about the previous class, a recap on what we covered, and what experiences/challenges came up when the 'students' went home to play on their own.
In my class, no one apparently went home and played. So.... the Q & A portion of the class was about 3 minutes, instead of my allotted 30min. Hmph.
So, in following the ideas that we covered on Monday - the bigger databases, Ancestry, LDS, and Rootsweb, I thought we'd first need to backup and start with some simple searches on Google, and move from there. The class ended up looking like this:
- Google. How to search on Google. Use Quotations! The fun of Google Books, and just basically outlining what information you'd find in a basic Google search (like people's personal websites, archived information... what "archived" means)
- Forums. Both Rootsweb and GenForums. These have been invaluable to me, and hopefully a great place to start for people who don't have a lot of information yet. Seems like with the examples I showed tonight (from my own family and family searches from the class), there isn't a lot of activity on the GenForums any longer. Is there somewhere better? Rootsweb still seems to have a lot of action.
- The GenWeb. I'd always found TWO helpful aspects to the Genweb - county "lookups" and the search engine for the archives. While the archive search is still AMAZING and something EVERYONE needs to have bookmarked, all the counties we looked at (four), none had volunteer "lookups" any longer. Is the GenWeb losing some oomph in that way?
- Gravesites. We covered Find a Grave and Interment. Find a Grave seems to have greatly expanded, now offering (not consistent, mind you, but still) obituaries and family group links. WOW! Someone is really on it with this site. Interment is helpful, but Find A Grave definitely stole the show.
- A quick look back at PAF software and how to create a gedcom file, exporting.
And that was a wrap. Whew! I think I overwhelmed them. I would've been overwhelmed if I was just starting out. It was a lot of websites. And we finished 1/2hr early. But... I got great feedback from the class - that they really enjoyed it, learned a lot.
So... YAY! I want to teach more! I want to start a, once a week, Genealogy Group!! I want to be a GenWeb volunteer again (I was for years when I was NC, going to the library and printing off old newspapers from the 1800s and then transcribing and uploading). I want to join more groups. Lawd. I'd never work. And I'd never make any money to afford me time to do all that I want to do.
The class said was that they could tell I was passionate about genealogy research. It definitely came across. I hope that's a good thing :-)
The second class seems like it would be easier, but never quite so much. Especially because, in theory, you leave a good portion of the first of the class to questions about the previous class, a recap on what we covered, and what experiences/challenges came up when the 'students' went home to play on their own.
In my class, no one apparently went home and played. So.... the Q & A portion of the class was about 3 minutes, instead of my allotted 30min. Hmph.
So, in following the ideas that we covered on Monday - the bigger databases, Ancestry, LDS, and Rootsweb, I thought we'd first need to backup and start with some simple searches on Google, and move from there. The class ended up looking like this:
- Google. How to search on Google. Use Quotations! The fun of Google Books, and just basically outlining what information you'd find in a basic Google search (like people's personal websites, archived information... what "archived" means)
- Forums. Both Rootsweb and GenForums. These have been invaluable to me, and hopefully a great place to start for people who don't have a lot of information yet. Seems like with the examples I showed tonight (from my own family and family searches from the class), there isn't a lot of activity on the GenForums any longer. Is there somewhere better? Rootsweb still seems to have a lot of action.
- The GenWeb. I'd always found TWO helpful aspects to the Genweb - county "lookups" and the search engine for the archives. While the archive search is still AMAZING and something EVERYONE needs to have bookmarked, all the counties we looked at (four), none had volunteer "lookups" any longer. Is the GenWeb losing some oomph in that way?
- Gravesites. We covered Find a Grave and Interment. Find a Grave seems to have greatly expanded, now offering (not consistent, mind you, but still) obituaries and family group links. WOW! Someone is really on it with this site. Interment is helpful, but Find A Grave definitely stole the show.
- A quick look back at PAF software and how to create a gedcom file, exporting.
And that was a wrap. Whew! I think I overwhelmed them. I would've been overwhelmed if I was just starting out. It was a lot of websites. And we finished 1/2hr early. But... I got great feedback from the class - that they really enjoyed it, learned a lot.
So... YAY! I want to teach more! I want to start a, once a week, Genealogy Group!! I want to be a GenWeb volunteer again (I was for years when I was NC, going to the library and printing off old newspapers from the 1800s and then transcribing and uploading). I want to join more groups. Lawd. I'd never work. And I'd never make any money to afford me time to do all that I want to do.
The class said was that they could tell I was passionate about genealogy research. It definitely came across. I hope that's a good thing :-)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Notes vs. "Actual Text"
I'm curious... I pose this as a question..
What do YOU do with your database, on Notes vs. Actual Text?
Right now, I'm running through Census files. Previously, I'd put the information in the Notes section (this is when I was young and a newbie). I'm now putting everything in the "Actual Text" of the source.
THEN I create a timeline, 1870:, 1880:, in the notes section, including year, where, and occupation only.
This seems like a Great collaboration of notes & actual text - and perhaps what the two parts are originally designed for.
BUT, what about other things.. like articles. Do you put the full article in the "Actual Text" of the source? Or do you put it in the notes?
It seems a better idea to Source it, and put the source & INFO in the Notes section, because then it prints. Whether you're uploading your database to share or creating individual webpages, the notes will show, but the sources are separate. So... notes are more visible.
Just curious. What do you do? How do you sort it out?
What do YOU do with your database, on Notes vs. Actual Text?
Right now, I'm running through Census files. Previously, I'd put the information in the Notes section (this is when I was young and a newbie). I'm now putting everything in the "Actual Text" of the source.
THEN I create a timeline, 1870:, 1880:, in the notes section, including year, where, and occupation only.
This seems like a Great collaboration of notes & actual text - and perhaps what the two parts are originally designed for.
BUT, what about other things.. like articles. Do you put the full article in the "Actual Text" of the source? Or do you put it in the notes?
It seems a better idea to Source it, and put the source & INFO in the Notes section, because then it prints. Whether you're uploading your database to share or creating individual webpages, the notes will show, but the sources are separate. So... notes are more visible.
Just curious. What do you do? How do you sort it out?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Cleaning of the Database (pt2) - Rootsweb and Ancestry
I have a new love - Rootsweb (my database) and my PAF software, two windows on my screen. Oh, a whole new world for cleaning the database.
I am not a big fan of Family Tree Maker. I have it, of course. And it's connection to my Ancestry.com membership is handy. Sometimes. Still, I really prefer my Personal Ancestral File from LDS. It's FREE. It's Easy. And it works just the same as Ancestry Family Tree, which I'm still depressed that they discontinued. Btw, is that for real? Does anyone know if it's Really, Truly gone? Cause I can't find it on the web any longer.
Enyhoo... Ancestry has it's place. It does. While I'd rather not pay for genealogical information, it's not a soap-box I'm willing to rant about tonight.
So... My new favorite thing....
I upload my database to Rootsweb. Instead of having 10,000 pages on my personal website, it just makes more sense to have a link to a free family tree... Rootsweb is by far my favorite.
Rootsweb is also tied in with Ancestry, so each individual listing - if Ancestry can find it - gives you search results to Ancestry throughout the Rootsweb database.
This is the best help for cleaning up the database!
I open one window with MY database on Rootsweb. Which has the links to Ancestry.
And then another window of my PAF database.
I can look right at my notes and sources on my rootsweb pages, find oddities, old information, and of course, Ancestry links... and update in my PAF at the same time. It's So much easier than having to click on the Sources and Notes for each individual person - not sure what I'm going to find - cause Rootsweb has it all listed right there.
Of course this means that I've been uploading new databases to Rootsweb every day this week.
But... I don't have a job. And the baby is still taking two naps a day. I have time :-)
If you have an ancestry membership and upload to Rootsweb, this is, so far, the easiest way that I've found to start with cleaning the database. It's at least showing me the weak links, and immediate connections to cleaning up Notes and Sources. Ooh... I've got a long list to build on. But you've gotta start somewhere.
I am not a big fan of Family Tree Maker. I have it, of course. And it's connection to my Ancestry.com membership is handy. Sometimes. Still, I really prefer my Personal Ancestral File from LDS. It's FREE. It's Easy. And it works just the same as Ancestry Family Tree, which I'm still depressed that they discontinued. Btw, is that for real? Does anyone know if it's Really, Truly gone? Cause I can't find it on the web any longer.
Enyhoo... Ancestry has it's place. It does. While I'd rather not pay for genealogical information, it's not a soap-box I'm willing to rant about tonight.
So... My new favorite thing....
I upload my database to Rootsweb. Instead of having 10,000 pages on my personal website, it just makes more sense to have a link to a free family tree... Rootsweb is by far my favorite.
Rootsweb is also tied in with Ancestry, so each individual listing - if Ancestry can find it - gives you search results to Ancestry throughout the Rootsweb database.
This is the best help for cleaning up the database!
I open one window with MY database on Rootsweb. Which has the links to Ancestry.
And then another window of my PAF database.
I can look right at my notes and sources on my rootsweb pages, find oddities, old information, and of course, Ancestry links... and update in my PAF at the same time. It's So much easier than having to click on the Sources and Notes for each individual person - not sure what I'm going to find - cause Rootsweb has it all listed right there.
Of course this means that I've been uploading new databases to Rootsweb every day this week.
But... I don't have a job. And the baby is still taking two naps a day. I have time :-)
If you have an ancestry membership and upload to Rootsweb, this is, so far, the easiest way that I've found to start with cleaning the database. It's at least showing me the weak links, and immediate connections to cleaning up Notes and Sources. Ooh... I've got a long list to build on. But you've gotta start somewhere.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Rookie Mistakes - dealing with the LIVING
There are SO many mistakes to be made, when you're a newbie genealogy researcher.
For me, combine youth (in my early 20s, when I first really started compiling), crazy enthusiasm, and the onset of the Internet - And Rootsweb.
Plus, a boring job.
Bad Combo.
There wasn't much more than Rootsweb and the beginning of the Genweb available online, and I had a job that literally paid me for, like 5 months, to do genealogy. It was accepted by my boss. I needed to "be available" when work came up, and the rest of the time, as long as it wasn't Horrible Internet searching (yikes!) or gaming, I could do what I wanted.
So I filled in the entire Royal Family.
Did I need that in my database? NO.
Do I need it now, taking up space? NO.
But... it's there. And I suppose it's fun when I find more and more lines connected to the Royal Family - I don't have to do all the leg work behind it. Still, I wish I'd taken more time to actually LEARN the history, instead of just copy/paste from others on the Web.
This was before flash drives. Even before burning CD's was a norm. I was working for a computer software company that was still DOS-based, and sent out on floppys. Not the BIG floppys, but still.
So, moving from home to work wasn't easy. I had to back up my database and restore each time.
And somewhere in my export.... I exported with "replace LIVING for all living persons". Oh My God.
Something like 4000 names suddenly became LIVING instead of their real information.
I didn't realize, of course, until after a month or so of updating this database at work.... the call was, deal with the LIVING, or lose everything I'd done recently. I chose the first option.
And for 14years, I've had pages upon pages of LIVING in my database. No idea who these people are. Some of them first cousins and resources and family bible stuff - Real Bonafide Living information that I wish I had. And it's all gone.
Tonight, after months of when I get a down moment, which isn't so often, I'd delete these LIVING. 50 or so each time.
And tonight, I am proud to say that I have deleted all the LIVING from my database. Yeesh. I have no idea what I deleted, because it wasn't information to begin with - generations of... 8 children LIVING and marriages of LIVING and so on and so forth.
At least now they're not in there taking up space.
Hindsight.... really... if I'd only known then what I know now.
CHECK YOUR EXPORT PREFERENCES!!!!!
For me, combine youth (in my early 20s, when I first really started compiling), crazy enthusiasm, and the onset of the Internet - And Rootsweb.
Plus, a boring job.
Bad Combo.
There wasn't much more than Rootsweb and the beginning of the Genweb available online, and I had a job that literally paid me for, like 5 months, to do genealogy. It was accepted by my boss. I needed to "be available" when work came up, and the rest of the time, as long as it wasn't Horrible Internet searching (yikes!) or gaming, I could do what I wanted.
So I filled in the entire Royal Family.
Did I need that in my database? NO.
Do I need it now, taking up space? NO.
But... it's there. And I suppose it's fun when I find more and more lines connected to the Royal Family - I don't have to do all the leg work behind it. Still, I wish I'd taken more time to actually LEARN the history, instead of just copy/paste from others on the Web.
This was before flash drives. Even before burning CD's was a norm. I was working for a computer software company that was still DOS-based, and sent out on floppys. Not the BIG floppys, but still.
So, moving from home to work wasn't easy. I had to back up my database and restore each time.
And somewhere in my export.... I exported with "replace LIVING for all living persons". Oh My God.
Something like 4000 names suddenly became LIVING instead of their real information.
I didn't realize, of course, until after a month or so of updating this database at work.... the call was, deal with the LIVING, or lose everything I'd done recently. I chose the first option.
And for 14years, I've had pages upon pages of LIVING in my database. No idea who these people are. Some of them first cousins and resources and family bible stuff - Real Bonafide Living information that I wish I had. And it's all gone.
Tonight, after months of when I get a down moment, which isn't so often, I'd delete these LIVING. 50 or so each time.
And tonight, I am proud to say that I have deleted all the LIVING from my database. Yeesh. I have no idea what I deleted, because it wasn't information to begin with - generations of... 8 children LIVING and marriages of LIVING and so on and so forth.
At least now they're not in there taking up space.
Hindsight.... really... if I'd only known then what I know now.
CHECK YOUR EXPORT PREFERENCES!!!!!
Friday, July 9, 2010
What I Do
I picked this up from Geneabloggers. Read here for more information and to see what other Geneabloggers do.
This is a GREAT idea to share what we need to accomplish the research we perform. I have already learned so much from others! I am not listing much on my virus protection, just simply because I don't want it to be TOO easy to be hacked. If you're curious about how to protect your computer, leave me a comment and I'll respond.
This is a GREAT idea to share what we need to accomplish the research we perform. I have already learned so much from others! I am not listing much on my virus protection, just simply because I don't want it to be TOO easy to be hacked. If you're curious about how to protect your computer, leave me a comment and I'll respond.
* Hardware:
ACER Aspire Laptop
Custom built Tower
2 Dell flatscreen monitors
Netgear Wireless Router
* External storage:
320G external drive (Costco, $99)
Various USB flash drives of different sizes
* Online storage: Picasa photos. No online storage
* Backup: DOS script twice daily backup
* Firewall: not telling :-)
* Virus protection: not telling :-)
* Spyware: Adaware, Spybot
* File cleaner: Various
* Printer: HP Photosmart
* Phone: Samsung (an oldie). I don't need emails and daily feeds to my phone yet. I'm easy enough to find :-)
* Mobile media: iPod Nano
* Music player: WinAmp, iTunes, Windows Media Player, accordingly
* Car audio: Stock
* eBook Reader:None. Me like books with paper and no batteries
* Browser:Mozilla Firefox
* Blog:Blogger
* RSS:None
* FTP:Dreamweaver, CuteFTP, accordingly
* Text editor: NotePad, MS Office, Email
* Graphics: Photoshop, Picasa
* Screen capture: Print Screen + Paste (into Paint)
* Social media: Facebook
* Social bookmarking:None
* Social profile:None
* URL shortener: tinyURL
* Office suite: 2007 Pro (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access). And yes, I use them all. yeesh!
* E-mail: Outlook, Yahoo!, Gmail
* Calendar: Outlook
* Accounting: Excel
* PDF generator: MS Office, Photoshop
* Genealogy database: Personal Ancestry File 5.2.18, Family Tree Maker, various online trees
* Genealogy tools: Maps, Books, Journals, Clerks of Court, various online Genealogical society submissions
* Other tech stuff: That's about all she wrote. I use what I need; haven't found a need for a lot of the high-tech gadgets yet.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Research from a non-professional
It seems that in most families, there is one (if one) that holds and interest and diligence and fascination with family research. Some gather the pictures, some find their inner craftiness and scrapbook tales, some scour the world for that bit of data to piece things together. And every now and again, at a family dinner/wedding/reunion, you get to tell some of the tales you've discovered, and others' might be interested for a bit.
Or at least, that's my family.
I am not a professional. I teach a class on genealogy on the web (which I'd love to expand into a series of classes), that is based on my experiences, and mine alone. What do I know? I'm certainly not the greatest researcher, and my priorities have greatly changed over the years. Most of what I know now is how NOT to research, the mistakes you will make. It is only in the past few years that I feel I've begun to even touch the surface of being a GOOD, qualified researcher.
When you start researching at 17, and tend to be a math person already, it's about the puzzle. The data. Filling in the gaps, going as far back as you can.
And because of that, I have 10 years of research in names and history and data. And NO SOURCES. I have NO idea where half of the data I've discovered came from. It was from the web. As we all know (or, know NOW), that is highly subjective. It might be correct. It quite possibly is not. I have people in an old address list that I didn't even write down which family they're connected to, so writing to them or using them as sources now, after the fact, is impossible.
It's sad.
It's a learning experience.
So, I offer this as an apology to my database. To researchers of my families who stumble across my information and ask me for more, and I just don't have it.
The past 7years have been spent correcting data, rediscovering holes, filling in even more gaps and data with TRUE data, with SOURCES, with actual pieces of paper that I've scanned by going to the clerks of court (and trusting in documents found on Ancestry). There are times it seems it was all a waste - now that I'm having to correct so much, Base so much unfounded. But it makes for a clearer, more bonafide database of my Ancestry.
And now instead of just an empty database of 23000 names, I now have at least a few thousand that I know a bit of their lives, a story to put to their birth dates and death dates, and when a family member asks me a question, I have so much more to say.
Source your stuff, ya'll.
It is a learning process, but that's the first lesson EVERYONE needs to learn.
~happy huntings
Or at least, that's my family.
I am not a professional. I teach a class on genealogy on the web (which I'd love to expand into a series of classes), that is based on my experiences, and mine alone. What do I know? I'm certainly not the greatest researcher, and my priorities have greatly changed over the years. Most of what I know now is how NOT to research, the mistakes you will make. It is only in the past few years that I feel I've begun to even touch the surface of being a GOOD, qualified researcher.
When you start researching at 17, and tend to be a math person already, it's about the puzzle. The data. Filling in the gaps, going as far back as you can.
And because of that, I have 10 years of research in names and history and data. And NO SOURCES. I have NO idea where half of the data I've discovered came from. It was from the web. As we all know (or, know NOW), that is highly subjective. It might be correct. It quite possibly is not. I have people in an old address list that I didn't even write down which family they're connected to, so writing to them or using them as sources now, after the fact, is impossible.
It's sad.
It's a learning experience.
So, I offer this as an apology to my database. To researchers of my families who stumble across my information and ask me for more, and I just don't have it.
The past 7years have been spent correcting data, rediscovering holes, filling in even more gaps and data with TRUE data, with SOURCES, with actual pieces of paper that I've scanned by going to the clerks of court (and trusting in documents found on Ancestry). There are times it seems it was all a waste - now that I'm having to correct so much, Base so much unfounded. But it makes for a clearer, more bonafide database of my Ancestry.
And now instead of just an empty database of 23000 names, I now have at least a few thousand that I know a bit of their lives, a story to put to their birth dates and death dates, and when a family member asks me a question, I have so much more to say.
Source your stuff, ya'll.
It is a learning process, but that's the first lesson EVERYONE needs to learn.
~happy huntings
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