Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

Friday Yea!!!  Its FRee Genealogy Question Day?    Ask me and I'll respond right here on my blog!   R u visiting relatives this weekend?   Maybe u have hit a brick wall.   Let me help.   cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

Continuing my Survival Road Trip Kit:
5-  Forms -  Print out blank forms such as: research calendar, research extract, source summary for family information, correspondence record or other forms that you deem necessary to record the information you are looking for.  Check online for other forms like a cemetery form, probate office form depending on where you are going.   Forms keep you organized for when you get back to your room or home so that you can transcribe easily.

6-  Camera (digital preferred)  voice recorder, portable scanner -  when visiting cemeteries it is a good idea to take a picture of the entrance to the cemetery plus any gravesites you find.   Making note of where the grave sites are located is also suggested.  A voice recorder is great if you happen to come across an old timer in the city you are visiting and he/she has lots of stories to tell you.  You can use the portable scanner at the Probate Office to scan wills, death certificates, etc..

7-  Laptop Computer -  In the evenings, if you're not exhausted, you can sit down and sort through all the information you acquired throughout  the day and input the information on your database.

8-  Travel Journal - Keep a travel journal of all your research.   This journal can be a digital or a written one.  You will be surprised at how many times you will refer back to it.

But most of all, don’t get overwhelmed and do too much.   Enjoy the experience.   Even if you don’t get all the information you want, you have had fun at what you love most, Genealogy. cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

Survival Kit Tips:

1-  Lots of pencils and paper -   Most State and National Archives, college libraries, city libraries do not allow pens.  Always go onto their website and read about what is allowed in their Genealogy Room.

2-  Change -  You will needs lots of change for making copies, parking, refreshments, etc...

3-  Family Group Sheets - These sheets should be filled out with updated information so that you can access dates easily.  Do not take your whole genealogy file with you.   Take only the pertinent information you will need.

4-  ToDo List  - Know what you are looking for.   Is it a birth certificate or a newspaper article?  Are you looking for a local cemetery?  Always make this to do list and follow it so that you don’t get sidetracked.


See u tomorrow for more survival kit tips. cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

As we go full swing into the summer months,  are you thinking about taking a Genealogy trip out of town.   Are you planning to go to the State and National Archives, State College Libraries, out of town cemeteries, out of town Probate Court Office?  Wherever you go, you will need a survival kit and be well prepared.  Before you plan this trip however, ask yourself, can i find this information out at my local library or maybe I can order through the local LDS Family History Center, the microfilm I need?  Searching for your family records in your ancestor’s local town or city should only be done after you are sure you cannot acquire the records through easily accessible means.  Do you want to spend the time and money traveling when you can access the information on-line?  After careful planning, make a survival kit. Follow tomorrow as we continue with the survival kit. cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

It's free Friday ! Ask any genealogical question and I'll answer it right here on my blog. R u hitting a brick wall? What have u got to lose. Have a gr8 weekend and since the weather is warm go visit great grandpa and have him show u some pictures with the story behind it. Take ur voice recorder n digital camera. See u all on Tuesday cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

Have you ever searched the census and said, what does that say?   You just can't read the shorthand of early census takers..   They used some obvious shorthand, like jno = john.   Does that make sense?  Thos = Thomas.   After 30 years of reading the censuses, I am still learning.

Newspapers (historical) lets you search but uses OCR (optical character recognition)  What is OCR?  Example, type a keyword like Robert Glasgow, and it looks for Robert and Glasgow which, of course,  is going to bring up thousands of unnecessary information and is very unreliable.  If you search twice it will bring up different information each time.   If you are looking for a death notice, use the date and then search within.   Try putting the whole name in quotes “robert glasgow” and hopefully it will bring up only the Robert Glasgow's’ you need.  Just a tip, Newton County LIbrary has access to historical newspapers on microfilm in their Heritage Room. cga

Genealogy (Love of the Hunt)

Ya!!!  Its Friday!  the 13th at that !!   Free Genealogical Question Friday??   Ask me and I'll answer right here on my blog.   Have a great weekend!!   cga