A Family Forum...

This latest genealogy hint/tip might not work for everyone, but it can be a genealogist's dream. In not only getting closer to your own family, BUT a wonderful way of gathering the genealogy data you might need from them. What is it you ask? Very simply it is set up a Family Forum! Most of you who are reading this, has knowledge already of what a forum is -- probably belong to at least one forum. Right? -_-

I have over 45 people in just my immediate family alone, needless to say, we had trouble in keeping up with one another, even though most of us live fairly close to each other. About 7 years ago, my niece & I came up with the idea of starting up a forum for the family to post about their daily lives, share photos, etc. It especially came in handy whenever one of us was sick &/or in the hospital to keep everyone abreast of the latest update on them. And the best thing of all? It gave us a chance to get to know one another that we hadn't had a chance to before. We have threads tailored to what fits our needs, such threads for Chat, Recipes, Photos, Books, Movie/TV, etc. Occasionally we will even do fun/silly things on there by having a Game thread & play "Hangman" or "21 Questions".

Like I said, though we mostly lived in the same area, many were busy with their own family....raising their kids, attending school functions, work, etc. And besides with that many people, it was hard to find a good time when we all could get together as a group. By having a Family Forum, everyone then could chat/post when they could. And in doing that, though it was slow at the beginning, we've become a much closer family. I know I've gotten much closer to my own family, especially the "in-laws" (i.e. niece-n-laws / nephew-n-laws) that otherwise it would have taken me years for me to get to know them as I do now.

And having a Family Forum is an excellent way for those who live out of state to be a big part of the family & share what all is going on in their own lives. Makes them feel just that bit closer to home & family.

Now how is this such a good tool for the family genealogist? On our Family Forum, I have added a thread "just" for Genealogy. Anytime I need to ask a question of them, I post it on there & 99% of the time I get a response back from everyone. I have also done what I call "group questions". Like right now the one I have up, I've asked them to all tell me "How They Met Their Spouse", as well as tell me a bit about their wedding. So far, I have gotten great feedback on it & have some wonderful stories to add to our family history that otherwise I might never had gotten.

Here are a few suggestions to give you an idea of what you could have for questions/topics on your own family forum:

1. What was your weight/length at birth?
2. What college did you go to & what was your degree in?
3. Once a week you could name a person in the family (past or present) & ask them to list facts about that person.....or to tell a favorite story about them.
4. List the church/place where you got married.
5. Have them share a favorite photo of themselves &/or maybe a relative that is no longer with you.


As I said, those are just a few things you could start with on a Genealogy Thread.

FYI: To start your own family forum.....do a Google search by using "Free Forum Hosting". A good list of free ones will come up. Check through them & find one that will suit your needs & ease of use. (((several of them out there are very easy to manage & maintain))) One thing to make note of, you will need an administer for it....someone to manage it -- hopefully you. Anyhoo, I would recommend that you lock the settings where only the administer(s) can add any new thread(s) to the forum. Otherwise, no matter what you tell them in the beginning, they will eventually start adding their own threads left & right & your forum will grow too big, becoming hard for others to navigate. EDITED TO ADD: Also, you might consider (& I highly recommend it) making your forum password protected & all members have to be approved by the administer(s) before they can join & get on your forum. Reason, sad to say there are sources (i.e. idiots) who will spam a forum. By making those two settings will stop that & give you control on who can see your forum.

Hope you will consider this as an option for your family & that you have as much fun as we have had in my own family. If you have any questions about starting your own Family Forum, please feel free to ask me. Enjoy......

Later, Deb

SPECIAL NOTE: I want to personally say "Thanks" to Judy from the Tennessee Memories blog for the Kreativ Blogger award she gave me back in November. Sadly its been that long since I last posted here. But as you know, I don't stick to any type of a writing schedule....just whenever I think of something to share with you all do I post. -_-

Genealogy Angels....

I'm sitting here trying to come up with what to post about today, & though several things come to mind, I think I'll write about those folks who I call "Genealogy Angels". What are genealogy angles? I bet it is pretty safe to say that most of you have had one or two experiences with one. They are those kind hearted folks who have read one of your post on a genealogy message board(s), one where you inquired about a relative &/or a brick wall. Not only do they read your inquiry, but on their own do a bit of research to help you out & find an answer for you.

I'm not sure but I have a feeling a lot of our genealogy angels out there, have time on their hands & most of their own genealogy done....as we all know, one's genealogy is "never" finished/completed....& they've come to love the excitement of busting through those pesky brick walls, wanting others to experience the same thrill. :-) For me, they are the best of the best & I will forever be grateful they are out there.

Here's my story with my own genealogy angel: To give a bit of back story first. Back when my Dad passed away & the family was all just sitting around in the living room chatting, my Mom looked at my aunt (Dad's sister) & made the comment, "You do know you have a 1/2 sister out there somewhere, right?" WHAT? Talk about grabbing everyone's attention, that is definitely one way of doing it. :-) My aunt was stunned to say the least.

Seems like several years earlier my Dad got a letter from a lady who said she thought they were related, as her father's name was William Dodds Evans....same as my Dad's dad. She was going to be in the area & would love to visit with my Dad. Well, he didn't take to kindly to this lady claiming she was related to him, he wrote her back telling her in no certain terms that they were NOT related & he didn't want her to bother us ever again.

You need to know that Granddaddy had a reputation of being a bit wild back in his younger days, such as taking a nip now & then. Then there is Grandmother who was very religious & wouldn't hear of anything that might soil her views.

Notice that my Mom didn't mention that Granddaddy had been married before, just that there is a 1/2 sister out there somewhere. So we're all thinking, especially my aunt, he was a bit wilder than just taking a nip here & there. Ever since Mom dropped that bombshell on us all, I've tried to find his 1/2 sister. My Dad passed away 12 years ago & my Mom could no longer remember any of the particulars since it was so many years ago when they got the letter.

After my Mom passed away last year, I thought maybe, just maybe, she had kept the letter. Yet after going through everything of her's, I found nothing. I guess it was about 6 months ago when I was talking to my older sister about not having any luck on finding Daddy's 1/2 sister, when she gave me another piece of the puzzle. Seems like when she was a teen, & all of the family had gone out somewhere, she got to snooping (as kids do) in Grandmother's (she was living with us at that time) room & found, hidden in a drawer, a divorce decreed for Granddaddy! WOW....so was not expecting to hear that. Though it doesn't surprise me that Grandmother never mentioned it, there is no way she would want it to be known that he had been married before. Divorce was a BIG no-no back then.

Now I'm thinking I'll have better luck in my research on him. Yeah, in my dreams. I never could find anything about his 1st marriage or child. And being that, due to my life nowadays, I had to let my subscription go at Ancestry, which hinder my search even more. I didn't give up though! My thoughts were, most likely Granddaddy's 1st child had passed away by now, but maybe she had a family of her own & they are looking for us as well. I do what we all would do & leave a post on all of the genealogy boards that I knew of, inquiring about Granddaddy & his first family.

This is where my genealogy angel comes in. She lives in Kentucky & loves to help those with Kentucky inquiries, which mine did. On her own, she found a marriage license for Granddaddy, as well as few other things. But the ultimate find was, she spotted on their marriage license, this wasn't his "first" marriage, it was his second!!! So here I am jumping for joy to have their marriage license, as well as trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was married not twice but THREE times! Cause of my genealogy angel, I have found an obituary for his second wife, her father's name, her siblings & their child's name. I have yet to find anything on his 1st wife though. No matter, my genealogy files have been so enriched by this wonderful lady who just wanted to do a kind deed in helping someone else.

My genealogy angel has no ties what-so-ever to my family, but she took time out from her own life to help me. Dorann not only used the computer in her research, but she also spent time on the phone, for 2 or 3 days, to the court house. I will forever be grateful to her & all of her help. Thank you Dorann!!!

May you all be so lucky to have a genealogy angel in your life one day, if you haven't already. AND hopefully we'll all take a page out of her book & help someone out when we can.

Later, Deb

Census Cards....

Census cards? What the heck are census cards? I've never heard of them! Me neither....lol But I was getting tired of when I did need to re-view one of the copies I had on file & not being able to read most of them. (((NOTE: I'm not going to say it was necessarily because of my "old" eyes either! lol))) Most of you will find, if you haven't already, the copies of census' on-line aren't the best copies, plus you have to factor in the bad handwriting as well. Seems like my ancestor's always got the enumerator who was deemed to be a doctor, because they definitely had the bad handwriting part down pat! Or if there was a copy of a census that was blurred or it darken as it went down the page (to the point where you couldn't read it), then you can bet your bottom dollar that was my folks listed at the bottom of the page. ***sigh***

What's a person to do, right? Luckily I do have a decent graphic editor program that I can manipulate the copy enough some of the time to a some what readable stage.....not always, but fairly often. For those census' that nothing can be done to improve, I have to do a bit of detective work to figure them out. How? By getting the previous/next census for that family & compare them, see if I find a pattern & figure out who is who.

Therefore, & as I said at the first, I was getting tired of when I needed to go back into my census' & having to start from scratch in trying to read the darn thing. That's when the idea of making up "Census Cards" came about. I took out my handy dandy 5" x 8" index cards :-) & made a card for each census I had a copy of. I realize 95% of you will not find the need for doing such a thing or think it would be worth your time/effort....but it sure has been handy for me to have them & I thought I'd share it with you all.

Below I have given examples from 3 different census years so you can see what I put on them:


Not only will these cards be nice whenever I need to go back & look at a particular census, but they will be easy to take with me on any research trip I make in the future. Another good thing about having census cards, you can make any addition notes on the back.....such as their neighbors, the value of their property, etc. I do not write on my copies of the census' but I don't mind a bit in doing so on these.

NOTE: I came up with these census cards for myself, it is not something you have to do for your own genealogy by any means. I just like sharing different ideas on genealogy....& in doing so, you might find something useful for your own genealogy.

Later, Deb

Organizing Your Genealogy Files/Records....

For those who have been in genealogy for a while now, did you ever think you'd acquire the amount of paperwork you have? I know I didn't. Or if you are new to genealogy, be prepared to have mountains of paperwork staring at you! :-) Oh I knew there would be some but nothing like what I had a few days ago & taking up any & all available space in my room. heehee If I knew then what I knew now, & that is how much paper is involved in genealogy, I would have bought stock in printer paper & ink cartridges! lol

The big question is, how the heck do you keep it from taking you over....even worse, some of it getting lost? The answer to that is to get it all organized. Yeah, I know you are rolling your eyes at me & thinking "Well, DUH!", you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out! :-) But the question is, just how many of you "do" have all of your genealogy records organized? That's what I thought....nice thought, easier said than done & all that right? Sadly, most of us don't give it that much thought, figuring we'll do something about it down the road, especially when we start out, till it "does" become a problem. I was just as guilty, had it somewhat organized, but the majority was just willy nilly here & there. Though 9o% of the time I could find what I was looking for, even if it might take me a while to find....I knew others wouldn't have a clue as to where to find something.

The other day, I decided to quit making excuses & just do what was long overdue....in other words, get them sorted, put in ordered & filed. Problem was, what would be the best way to organize it once you had it all separated? If you've done any research, or read any genealogy tips on filing systems, you found there are about as many ways to set up your files as there are genealogists. OK maybe not as many as that, but enough to confuse you as to which would work best for you. I know, cause I've been there.

So what do you do? I finally said the heck with it all & decided I had to start somewhere. First I pulled up my genealogy file on the computer & printed out the records I hadn't done so yet, then gathered up everything I had stored in boxes/files & composed one big pile. Then just took my time, going at my own pace, & started separating the "big" pile into smaller categories. You'll find, as you go along, the categories will decide for themselves with what you have. Once I had gone through the original pile, I went through the individual piles & doing any further sorting that needed to be done. My next step was to take each pile & highlight the name the document was for. (((NOTE: Only mark/highlight copies, never mark an original document!!!))) Finally I alphabetize each sorted pile. It took me 2 or 3 days to go through it all, working on it for a couple of hours each time, till I had everything sorted out into the following:

• GENEALOGY TOOLS...I keep maps of counties, a list of state abbreviations, samples of handwritings, etc. NOTE: I keep this file at the beginning, as it is something I get into more often than the others
  
• BIRTH....certificates, records, announcements
• CEMETERY....on-line I have found databases of family buried in cemeteries & I keep those here, as well as records/photos of headstones that I have pulled from "Find-a-Grave" website
• DEATH/OBITS....certificates, records, obituaries
• DIVORCE.....certificates, records
• DRAFT CARDS - 1917/18.....copies I have pulled from Ancestry's military database
• DRAFT CARDS - 1942.....copies I have pulled from Ancestry's military database
• E-MAILS/NOTES....e-mails containing family stories/memories, notes containing information not pertaining to any of the other categories
• FAMILY GENEALOGY/OTHERS....family GED files & trees that I have received from other family members, as well as family information pertaining to non-blood related family
• LAND GRANTS/PROPERTY....deeds, warranties & such
• LETTERS SENT OUT.....copies of the original letters sent out to others to gather information. NOTE: A note is posted on the original when I get a reply back & it is placed in the appropriate file, depending on what info I was inquiring about. But I keep the original letter here
  
• MARRIAGE.....certificates, records, announcements
• MILITARY....service records, records pulled from Ancestry
• MISC INFO....any records/information, such as schooling, interests, occupations, etc. that I have on individuals
• NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.....articles on family, places of interests, etc.
  
• PENDING DATA....self explanatory
  
• SHIP LOGS....logs/manifest of family members
  
• SSDI/STATE.... records pulled from Ancesty. NOTE: These could be placed in the "DEATH/OBIT" file, but I have acquired so many of them, that I wanted them separate

Now the above files are what works best for me with the type of records that I have accumulated, most likely you would need to adjust them to fit your's. Also, the files can easily be added to, combined or re-arranged to fit your own genealogy needs as you go along.

Many find organizing their files up to this point would work for them & not have to go any further. For me though, I think I having each record filed under the name of the person for which the document/record was for will be the way I'll have my system set-up. Therefore, my last step will be to get 3-ring binders & file each record/document under the appropriate name, using plastic sleeves & dividers. At least for now, my files are separated & in alphabetic order.....in other words the hard part is over with & I can find any document within seconds.

From going to thinking how much I dreaded even starting such a project, I found by going slowly, doing it in baby steps & working at my own pace, it wasn't nearly as hard or bad as I thought it would be. I made myself a promise at the beginning that I wouldn't let it overwhelm me or get to me....& I kept that promise.

So get out there & get those files organized! :-)

Coming up next.....Census Cards

Family Group Cards, Part 2......The Personal Information Sheets

I thought I might expand a bit on my Family Group Cards (a.k.a. FGC). As you will see, on the cards I use, there isn't a place for any "Personal Information" you might have acquired for a person. And I'm sure you all are just like me & would love to have a quick way to look up what you might have on someone. The question for me was, what would be the best way? Well, I thought about that for quite a while & I think I have solved my problem here. I thought I'd share it with you, in case it might be something you could use in your own genealogy records.

I've written up a list of 16 items (at last count) that I believe I will be able to find on members of my family. Believe me, I know I won't have each item filled out for everyone & some information I will only be able to get for those who are still living....but the list I've come up with should cover most everything.

My Personal Information List Consists Of:

1. Weight/Length @ Birth
2. Hair/Eye Color
3. Weight/Height (this would only be filled out once they are adults)
   
4. Physical Traits/Marks (((such as scars, tattoos, wears glasses/contacts, etc)))
5. Medical Conditions
6. Disabilities
7. Cause of Death
8. Name/Place of High School
9. Name/Place of College
10. Degree(s)
11. Cities/States Where Lived
12. Occupation(s)
13. Religion
14. Hobbies
15. Club Membership(s)
16. Military Service

Of course, this list is very flexible & workable to fit your own preferences. You can list what is important to you to include on yours. Just keep in mind, what you can fill out, will be pretty limited the further back you go in your lineage. I know I'm not going to know what my ggg grandfather's hobbies were most likely, but I should know my grandfather's, my siblings, their children, etc. And 50 years from now, whoever might take over the "Genealogy Baton", will be ever so thankful to know what I listed/gathered today. :)

Another thing, if you want to cut costs, you can very easily work this list up on notebook paper. I haven't decided whether to go to the expense of writing the sheet up on the computer & then printing it out or not yet. I can see advantages doing it both ways. :) I'm kinda leading toward printing it out myself, instead of using notebook paper. My reason? Time saving for one & second, I know my hand would like not having to do all of that writing. :)

Finally, I've got a 3-ring binder(s) that I have (w/tabbed dividers for everyone) that the "Personal Information Sheets" would be filed in.

FYI: Being as there are only 16 items to be filled out, you "could" just add a 2nd card to the FGC's if you wanted. Just remember, that would add to the amount you'd have to store in your index card file box. As well as, being as there are only 17 lines to a card, you'd have to squeeze things up if you needed any extra lines.

Later, Deb

Genealogy Supplies.....

Just a quick friendly reminder to you all, that this is the time of the year to stock up on a lot of your genealogy supplies. What with all of the Back-to-School sales going on right now, you can get your pencils, pens, folders, paper, etc. so much cheaper than what you'd pay during the rest of the year. Just cause its been many a' year since I was in school, there's no reason why I can't take advantage of those sales. :)

Later, Deb

Family Group Cards.....Part 1

For someone new to genealogy, they will find several different layouts for a Family Group Sheet....a.k.a. FGS. And I'm sure they, as I did, looked at each one, trying to find "the" one that would suit them best. And maybe even try to work up their own FGS, taking a bit here & there from all of the other examples they found. I know, cause I did the very same thing -- matter of fact, over time I probably made over 5 different ones & wasn't crazy about any of them that I came up with. So what is a person to do? Keep on trying...... Believe me, one day you will get something that is just perfect for you. Just remember, what works for you is not necessarily going to work for many others.

Turns out my final FGS isn't even a "sheet" but a 5" x 8" index card. I really like the index cards vs an 8x11 sheet of paper. For me they are: 1) Easier to handle, 2) Easier to take out on a research trip, 3) Take up less storage, being I can fit about 300 in a storage file box, 4) I can get quite a bit of information on it....even if it is only a 5" x 8" card

Here is a copy of one:
As you can see, in this blank example pictured above, I have the vitals listed that I should be able to find/get the information on each person......hopefully. There will always be an exception here & there. :) NOTE: Yes, I did use abbreviations, but in the front of each file box, I keep a "key" listing each of them that I used.

Also, you will notice that I have a "c:" below each vital, this is where "citing" your information/sources comes in. I can't stress enough for anyone new to genealogy, to cite ALL of the information/source/records they acquire for a person. As any seasoned genealogist will tell you, yes what you might remember today for a fact, is not necessarily something you are going to remember 10 years from now & will wonder where you got that bit of information. Plus, if you ever share any of your genealogy with someone, 99.99% of the time, they are going to want to know what your sources are & how it was verified. It's all & well that great grandma remembers her grandparents got married in Your Town, State, cause as she told you, that is just where they were born & lived all of their lives. But come to find out, later on someone sends off for their marriage record & discovers they actually eloped to another town/state to get married! You just never know..... Moral of Genealogy? Citation, Citation, CITATION!!! :) Believe me, you'll be glad you did later on. For myself, I like to have at least 2 forms of citation for my vitals, I just feel more comfortable knowing I've got 2 different sources saying the same thing for a piece of data/vital. But if the only form of citation you have is what your great grandmother told you, put it down.....that is still better than nothing & you can always add any additional citation(s) that you might acquire as you get further in your research.

I'm sure some of you, as you looked over my FGCard, are wondering "Yeah, but what about listing physical traits, schooling, employment, etc.?" I agree, I would LOVE to have a sheet/card with everything listed on it....but truly, how real is that? Knowing I won't have physical traits/etc. on everyone in my family, what do I do? The answer for me is to list anything else I might have on a person in a 3 ring binder (w/tab dividers) under their name. Doing it the way I am, I will have their vitals on the FGCard to take with me for when I do research. And then I have their personal info &/or memories/stories in the 3-ring binder.

One last note here.....on the very last line, I have "Census" listed. What I use this for is as I come across a census' for this person, I list the year/state here. I don't know how many times I've been searching for someone, find them on a 1910 KY census' & get all excited. Only to find out later that I already had that particular census' for them in my files. It is just a quick reference for me to check as I'm working.

Just like I said earlier in my post.....I know the way I do my FGS won't work for everyone, but it might will give you some new ideas about your own FGS & how you do yours.

Later, Deb