Between Dear Myrt's Finally Get Organized weekly checklists and Thomas MacEntee's Genealogy Do-Over topics, this has been a busy month.
This is the second go round for me with the Genealogy Do-Over. My approach is to Go-Over the research in my files and database instead of starting from scratch as some are doing.
This month both lists had organizing the office area on of the to -do items. Cleaning off my desk, filing papers and documents and putting books back on the shelf felt great! I could sit down and actually do some work. Everything was in it's place and I could find what I needed.
Making sure that necessary supplies were on hand, I purchased more files and other office supplies. Ordering more acid-free picture protectors will help properly store my ancestor's photos as they are scanned and filed.
Like Myrt, I keep a plastic file tote near me so that I can file things quickly as I research. It is very convenient for carrying around the house if I need to move from my office to work in another room to be near the family, Many times, my children and I are doing homework together.
On the Organization Checklist for Week 2 was making sure our work was backed up. Currently, I am using Dropbox and Backblaze. Both have features that help me not worry about loosing my computer data. An external hard drive is backed up monthly and I also have a jump drive on my key chain that contains my genealogy information.
My genealogy management program of choice is Legacy Family Tree. It is here that I place all the information that I have on my ancestors. A good source template is included as well as many reports and other features. It is also Family Search Certified.
My tree is also placed on several different websites. FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, MyHeritage.com and WikiTree.com all have the ability to upload your tree from a gedcom. Connecting with others and having an online backup of your tree are good reasons to use these.
Organizing my paper and computer files is one of the tasks for my Organization and Go-Over goals. I have been going through 30 year old binders, scanning necessary documents, pictures and other items. Originals are put in archival protectors.
Everything else will be thrown away.
Yes, I am throwing away duplicates. There were four copies of the same picture in one of my paper files. Who needs four copies of the same picture? The original is scanned on my computer and then placed in a picture protector. The file is uploaded to my online trees and my Legacy Program. That same picture is backed up in the cloud and locally at home. My files are thinner.
I don't think I will miss those copies!
One of the suggestions for getting things organized was to create an introduction for those that follow. It makes sense to include an explanation of filing systems and where our information is kept. Do we use Binders, filing cabinets or a combination? Are family trees online? What are the passwords and any other access information?
Making sure that those coming after me will be able to find and understand their family history is something I am working on.
Another goal was to transcribe all documents for the first 4 genearations. Most of my documents are transcribed and filed correctly for these ancestors so I started the week of Jan. 17th -23rd a little ahead. Like Myrt, I also use the program Transcript. It makes what can be a tedious chore so much faster. Transcribing helps me catch things that I didn't see when just reading through something.
For this past week the Finally Get Organized Checklist suggests getting involved with FamilySearch Indexing. This is something that I love to do. On Thurs. Feb. 4, I am planning on joining in the Freedman's Bureau Index-A-Thon. This is a joint, live from RootsTech and online at home event.
A few other items were already completed and could get checked off right away. These were learning to browse on FamilySearch, making binders for myself and my mother's maiden name and adding my sibling to my genealogy database.
Whew! A lot was accomplished this past month on my Organizing and Go-Over goals.
My paper files are getting thinner and easier to manage plus-
I can see my desk!
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Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,
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