How long does it take YOU to get back to your genealogical pursuits after a major interruption? My experience is that everyday life sometimes takes over, and the family charts, folders and notes may lie untouched for days – even weeks. Being retired, I have fewer demands on my time now than many genealogists. Working outside the home or raising a family both have their unyielding demands that must come first. Then there are houseguests, and vacations. Pleasant, to be sure, but they tend to divert us from our research, sometimes for long after the fact.
But there is always that pull. Someone mentions a familiar surname, a bit of news comes up about a region where the family once lived, or a new "how to" book comes on the horizon. Closer to home, a long-overdue response to a query finally shows up, or a vital record ordered six months ago arrives in the mail at last. And we're off again!
I have been waffling about doing research for several weeks now, but feel I am about ready to dive back in. One inspiration for me is the regular arrival of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, which keeps me posted about all sorts of family-history-related news. Another is my membership in the National Genealogical Society, which brings me fact-filled publications, full of ideas and inspiration.
I was noodling around online the other day, after reading EOGN's article on how the LDS FamilySearch website is about to undergo major changes. Saw no evidence of that at their current site (www.familysearch.org), but I did discover that their very basic genealogy program, Personal Ancestral File, has a new (to me) version, 5.2. Included is an updated PAF Companion, which provides several charting varieties. Turns out there is now a "top-down" descendants' chart, which has long been on my wish list (see my posting of October 11, 2006, "Changing my tune.").
Dick Eastman, incidentally, feels self-contained genealogy programs (like PAF, Legacy, Family Tree Maker, etc) are becoming outmoded and we will all be storing and accessing our family data online very soon. But until I feel comfortable relying on the Internet to provide a secure-but-easy-to-search site for my own notes and charts, I think I'll stick to Personal Ancestral File, which is truly personal. I have, however, sent for the revised programs, with their expanded display variations (under $9, what a deal!).
Showing posts with label charts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charts. Show all posts
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Focus!
Lately you may have noticed I have been obsessed with organizing! Well, not just lately, but most of the time. It is frustrating to duplicate research efforts because the original is hidden away somewhere, forgotten.. How often have you taken the time and trouble to print out or photocopy a document, only to discover you already had a copy?
Another problem I have is finding myself plugging away on a surname, only to be brought up short with the realization that the family is far removed, with only tenuous links to my ancestral lines. This is more about FOCUS than organization, I guess, but they go hand in hand.
My attempts at visualising the big picture have also been ongoing – I wrote a few weeks ago about a wish list for computer genealogy program features. One included a way to see more people – and their relationships -- at once. I reason that if I had a view of the overall structure of the important (to me) families, it would be easier to stay on course. But a computer screen is just so big and even the most elaborate program is constrained by its boundaries.
So I turned to wall displays. It is possible to download enormous charts, in printer-friendly format, onto external storage devices (floppy discs or CDs) and take them to a local copy shop where a plotter can turn out a big sheet. And some firms do this by mail. Also, of course, most programs allow you to print out a chart on several standard-size sheets and tape them together. These all are more or less permanent renditions of the family tree, however, and we know how often new or re-interpreted data requires adjustments to the Big Picture.
What I have chosen to do for now is this:
Printing out five-generation descendancy charts for the ancestors I am working on, I fasten them to a 2' x 3' magnetic bulletin board. Its "dry-erase" feature allows me to write in data and move it around. Magnetic 8 ½" x 11" sheets, thin enough to run through most home printers, were used to print headings for the individual at the top of each chart. (The sheets are primarily used to print photos, and have a glossy white finish on one side.)
I also made a list of all the surnames involved with each line. That is, the birth names of wives, and married names of daughters. This is posted above the computer monitor so I can check it at a glance.
Why does "Bostwick" ring a bell? Oh yes, Thomas's granddaughter married a Bostwick before she married a Hickman. But my chart indicates there were no children, so do I really want to pursue that line right now?
An article "Charting Your Priorities," by Susan Zacharias, appearing in the current issue of the NGS NewsMagazine (Jan/Feb/Mar 2007) also discusses treating surnames in this way. She advocates listing every surname back at least five generations, and emphasizing the names needing the most attention by the use of various sizes of type, underlining, and bold-facing of such names, adding what is known in the way of places and dates.
As these pieces of information are found, the list is revised, but it is always there as an aid in determining priorities.
And having priorities is as important as being organized, don't you agree?
Another problem I have is finding myself plugging away on a surname, only to be brought up short with the realization that the family is far removed, with only tenuous links to my ancestral lines. This is more about FOCUS than organization, I guess, but they go hand in hand.
My attempts at visualising the big picture have also been ongoing – I wrote a few weeks ago about a wish list for computer genealogy program features. One included a way to see more people – and their relationships -- at once. I reason that if I had a view of the overall structure of the important (to me) families, it would be easier to stay on course. But a computer screen is just so big and even the most elaborate program is constrained by its boundaries.
So I turned to wall displays. It is possible to download enormous charts, in printer-friendly format, onto external storage devices (floppy discs or CDs) and take them to a local copy shop where a plotter can turn out a big sheet. And some firms do this by mail. Also, of course, most programs allow you to print out a chart on several standard-size sheets and tape them together. These all are more or less permanent renditions of the family tree, however, and we know how often new or re-interpreted data requires adjustments to the Big Picture.
What I have chosen to do for now is this:
Printing out five-generation descendancy charts for the ancestors I am working on, I fasten them to a 2' x 3' magnetic bulletin board. Its "dry-erase" feature allows me to write in data and move it around. Magnetic 8 ½" x 11" sheets, thin enough to run through most home printers, were used to print headings for the individual at the top of each chart. (The sheets are primarily used to print photos, and have a glossy white finish on one side.)
I also made a list of all the surnames involved with each line. That is, the birth names of wives, and married names of daughters. This is posted above the computer monitor so I can check it at a glance.
Why does "Bostwick" ring a bell? Oh yes, Thomas's granddaughter married a Bostwick before she married a Hickman. But my chart indicates there were no children, so do I really want to pursue that line right now?
An article "Charting Your Priorities," by Susan Zacharias, appearing in the current issue of the NGS NewsMagazine (Jan/Feb/Mar 2007) also discusses treating surnames in this way. She advocates listing every surname back at least five generations, and emphasizing the names needing the most attention by the use of various sizes of type, underlining, and bold-facing of such names, adding what is known in the way of places and dates.
As these pieces of information are found, the list is revised, but it is always there as an aid in determining priorities.
And having priorities is as important as being organized, don't you agree?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)