Week 8 (May 22-28 2015)

This week's assignments:

1) Conducting Collateral Research
2) Reviewing Offline Education Options


Conducting Collateral Research

Thomas MacEntee defines 'Collateral Research' as the collateral lines connected to one's direct line ancestors.  In other words, relatives of someone who married into the family, distant cousins along your direct line as well as individuals connected to your family through second or third marriages.

As a step-mother, I have already included my step-children into my database.  I also grew up viewing the step-children of one of my uncles as much as a first cousin as their half-sister who was the blood descendant of my uncle.  My father's ancestors frequently raised the off-spring of a deceased sibling or child, so there was often confusion as to the true relationship of children in a household.

I know some people doing genealogy research just enter direct lines into their database.  When they enter the spouse of someone, they refuse to enter the parents of that individual as there is no blood connection.  I welcome recording the names of the in-law's parents as it helps identify that individual.  In the case of my tree, both my mother and father's lines, siblings of an in-law also married into the family.  If I didn't record the parents' names I would not be able to confirm the blood relationship between in-laws.

Granted, quite often when I am entering data from a census record, I do not record each child in the household; I will simply enter "2 additional children" and in the note field record the names and ages of the individuals.  I have had to go back and alter the record if I find one of the siblings has served as a witness to the marriage or married into the family as well.

Having a record of the siblings has helped confirm whether an obituary is the individual in my database or not.  (Again, I make the evaluation 'on the fly' rather than spending time entering the information into a Research Log or Evidentia to eventually make the decision.)  I find this particularly useful in determining a maiden name or parents' names.

An obituary for an in-law may list surviving or deceased siblings, but not the parents.  Searching records for the siblings often provide the name of the parents.

A marriage or death record may not list the maiden name of the in-law's mother.  But similar records for a sibling may have recorded the maiden name.  Or locating the marriage record of the parents (determining that it is indeed the marriage record for said parents), will provide the maiden name.  Knowing the maiden name often explains a first or middle name of a child.

When I'm doing my research, I've always worked on the family unit, not just my direct ancestor.  I view my genealogy as 'The Descendants of ______' not 'The Ancestors of Linda Patricia Allen'.  I guess that view comes from both my parents being from the same small community surrounded by their large extended families.  I have grown up not only knowing both sets of grandparents, but aunts, uncles and cousins as well as my parents' aunts, uncles and cousins and the children of those cousins.

It's all family.


Reviewing Offline Education Options

Once again, the assignment is for something that I have been doing as second nature.  Although I often don't make the time to watch webinars, I am aware that there are videos available on YouTube as well as the websites for the genealogy software.  I don't, or can't, commit to be available when a webinar is aired but I have watched the videos when they are uploaded somewhere on the internet.

Similar situation for conferences.  The timing of conferences frequently have not been compatible to my schedule, as well as the expense.  When the Ontario Genealogy Society's annual conference was in my home town, Kington Ontario, I did make the time in my schedule - especially after I saw that Lisa Louise Cooke would be doing several presentations.

Over the years, I have attended sessions with a genealogy theme when at library conferences.  While living in Kingston, I was never aware of the local branch of the OGS having workshops, courses, or seminars.  During the two years I was in Regina, I attended a conference organized by the local Family History Centre as well as a series of workshops organized by the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society in conjuction with the Regina Public Library who had a fantastic genealogy room and a librarian focusing on Prairie History.  As many of the settlers in the Canadian Prairies were from Ontario, or had passed through that province before heading west, both the public library and SGS library had a significant amount of Ontario-centric records.  The series of workshops focused on basic research and organization as well as searching homesteader records and other records pertinent to the prairies.  It gave me an understanding of the Rural Municipality and Meridan system used in the prairies rather than the county system I was accustomed to in Ontario.

I frequently receive emails from FamilyTree University and other organizations advertising their webinars and courses.  Although some have sounded interesting, I have refrained from spending the money and making the commitment to time.  I did do a short, at your own pace, course a few years ago.  It was offered free as a way to encourage people to sign up for longer, more indepth, courses.  I did find the course to be a positive experience, but it was all I could do to make the time committment to doing the course.  Although I joking say that I am a Genealogy Addict, I do want, and need, to spend time on other things.  And I would prefer to spend my 'genealogy time' searching and entering data into my database.

Another source of offline education is podcasts.  As long as I've had an iPod I have subscribed to genealogy related podcasts and listen to them as time permits. 


Summary

I continue to be amazed each week that the assignments cover things that I have already been doing instinctively and without thought.  As I've stated in previous posts, I attribute that to the training I had in my high school history classes.  At the time, the teacher told us that we might find it time consuming and question the need, but we would appreciate it once we got to university and had to do essays and theses.   Little did I know at the time that it would also serve me well for my addiction hobby of genealogy.

I may not be doing the evaluation of records to GPS standards of a professional genealogist, but I am confident that what I've been doing continues to serve me well for my genealogy needs.

Week 7 (May 15-21 2015)

Topics:
1) Reviewing Genealogy Database Software
2) Digitizing Photos and Documents

Once again this week's topics are things that I have done and/or do on an on-going basis.  I don't believe I'm an expert on things, but I do find it reassuring that I continue to be going about my genealogy research in the right way.

Reviewing Genealogy Database Software

In early days of my computer use, I had purchased a genealogy programme - I believe it was called Roots.  This was pre-internet, so access to information was limited.  Although I worked in the library system at Queen's University and their Special Collections Unit was a repository for the Canadian federal government, and therefore housed microfilm copies of the Canadian Census, I never took the time to investigate the resources.  I simply recorded the information I knew into that simplistic database.  I borrowed some family information from Aunt Dora and recorded that information as well.

I eventually purchased FamilyTreeMaker (version 7, or possibly earlier) and embraced the internet in its early stages.  (Another benefit of working at an academic library.)  I discovered eBay and people selling various dataCDs compiled by FTM.  As time went on, I found numerous trees on WorldCat and other sites with names that I recognized from both my father and mother's lines.

I upgraded to each new version of FTM, even sticking with them when there was a major change to its layout.  But I eventually grew tired of a new version released each fall, with very few changes - at least for my use.  The kicker was the year when Ancestry.com, by then the owner of FTM, was not offering a reduced rate for existing users of their product. 

I was in a dilemma at the time as my FTM database had gotten corrupt and before I realized it, any backups I had were from the corrupted data.  As I tried to reconstruct my database, it was too large to back up to a CD (this was before recordable DVD were available), so the only option was to backup to the harddrive.  As I was making multiple backups as I never knew when I would hit corrupted data, my harddrive kept maxing out. 

At the same time, a new version of RootsMagic was released - and the purchase price for a new user was cheaper than the "upgrade" for FTM!  I had read some good reviews for RootsMagic and one of the new features with the newly released version was the ability to save to a thumb drive for mobility purposes when it wasn't feasible to lug one's laptop.  So I decided to spend the $20US and start fresh, entering my data.  Strangely enough, the corrupted FTM datasbase allowed me to export gedcom without too much trouble, although some fields didn't import properly due to how FTM recorded data in some fields.

I really really loved the fact that I could save my data to a thumbdrive to carry in my purse to access at work during my breaks and lunchtime.  I had often done research at work but would have to make notes or printouts and then enter the data on my computer at home.  Now I could enter the new information into the database and then synch the thumbdrive on the home computer.  More efficient in my opinion.

Before the discovery of my corrupted FTM database, I had started attaching media to individuals.  Which is why my database had quickly ballooned to over 1 gig in size.  I wondered if the size of the database was what corrupted the file as there wasn't always a consistency in what records were corrupted.  When I started fresh with RM, I decided to split my massive tree into multiple branches.  [Now with the Do-Over, I'm merging the branches back into one massive tree.]

Before switching to RootMagic, I had looked at some other databases, including Legacy.  I can't remember just what it was about Legacy, but I didn't care for the way records were presented.  But I've always been comfortable with RootsMagic.

For the purpose of this week's Do-Over assignment, I have not taken the time to review genealogy database software.  I am happy with RootsMagic and the changes they make with the new versions released since I started using the programme.  Unlike FTM, RM hasn't released new versions on an annual bases.  They do provide updates throughout the duration of a version and when I new version is released, they continue to offer a reduced rate for an upgrade. 

The last couple of years, as I spend more and more time on genealogy research, I wondered whether I should change to Master Genealogist, but I knew it was expensive.  And it has now been discontinued, so that is no longer an option. 

I know I definitely do not to only have my data in a cloud based database.  I do have a tree on Ancestry, but I purposely only entered some basic records to make use of the waving leaves.  If Ancestry will do the searching for me, it would save me time inputing search strategies.  And, as many other have done, use the published tree as 'cousin bait'.

I still really like RootsMagic for the To Go feature previously mentioned as well as the fact that the database is not bloated with media.  The programme saves a link to the media file.  Granted, the media is not available to me when I use the thumbdrive (I could take the time to copy all the media files, but I don't want to run the risk of running out of room on the thumbdrive).  Having access to the media isn't crucial to me "out in the field".  Any digital records I save "out in the field" do have to be transferred to my home computer, so it is easy to know what to transfer if those are the only media on the thumbdrive.  And usually, the database will display an image of the record with an 'x' in the corner.  So, I do have an idea what the attached file should look like.

Another feature of RootsMagic that I like is the fact that the database only stores a link to the media file.  As part of my on-going organization (long before Do-Over encouragement), I set up a file organization for the media records that mirror the databases.  RootsMagic data is stored in a folder 'RM Data', the media in 'RM Images' with subfolders associated with each database.

With postings I've read on FaceBook, there really only seems to be two major Windows based genealogy programmes: RootsMagic and Legacy.  Users of both really love features of the programme they use.  I'm Team RootsMagic, so I'll continue using it until something else comes along that I feel better fits my needs.


Digitizing Photos and Documents

Once again, I've been digitizing photos for some time.  Granted, there is more I could be doing, but for genealogy purposes, I don't need or want every photo in my collection digitized.  Several years ago, we gave my mother a digital photo frame as a Christmas gift.  I had scanned a number of photos from my collection, as well as hers, for the frame and I have made use of those for my genealogy needs.

I have not collected many print documents, so I don't have many to be digitzed.  I have had an Ancestry subscription for a number of years now and I always save a copy of any image I find on Ancestry, as well as any others on the internet.  With my connection to Queen's University, I have access to their databases of historical newspapers and again, I save digital copies of any stories or death notices I find.

The routine I established long ago was to enter information from an image as soon as I had found the image.  So I don't have a backlog of relevant documents waiting to be digitized in preparation for entry into my database.


Summary

Although I continue to not actively do the weekly assignments, I am satistified that, for the most part, have already been doing the steps in some fashion.  

If I had been following the Do-Over in proper fashion I would not have been entering any information into my database for the past 7 weeks!  I am too antsy and eager to enter data into my database.  I've continued entering documented data into my database, evaluating data on the fly and making notes of what to pursue or investigate further. 

Week 2 (April 10-16 2015)

This week's assignment: 1) Setting Research Goals
2) Self interview
3) Conducting Family Interviews

1) Setting Research Goals
The purpose of participating in the Do-Over is to better focus on my genealogy research to ensure that the data entered in my Rootsmagic database is accurate. But how to go about doing that?

I feel that I have been doing that from the beginning of my genealogy research. I've always been suspicious of data posted by others online, but I'm willing to read and use as starting points for me to research and verify to my satisfaction that the information is correct - or not. On a lark one evening, I did an internet research (can't remember which search engine, but it was pre-Google...yes it was that long ago!). Low and behold, one of the hits was for someone's tree on Rootsweb that listed my grandfather's parents (John Schell and Mary Deadman) and going back several generations to the ancestor that had emigrated from "Germany". Boy was I surprised that several generations had apparently spent time in the Herkimer New York area. I have travelled through that area enroute to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York. Little did I know I was travelling through areas that my ancestors had walked. Maybe that's why I often felt a strange sensation? I just thought it was the steep hills and altitute change.

BUT wait! How accurate would this tree be? This tree did list John and Mary having a son George (my grandfather). But the spouse listed for this George was not my grandmother. I was a teenager when my grandfather died and an adult when my grandmother died. I never ever heard that George had a wife prior to my grandmother. And the dates listed in this online tree for their marriage and life spans wouldn't have corresponded to my grandmother being Wife 2.

So obviously something was wrong in the posted tree. Trying to be polite, I sent off an email to the woman who posted the tree asking where she had got the information for George and explained my connection. Her tree also had a middle name (Agnes) for Mary Deadman. My family information never had a middle name for her, but that didn't mean that she had one. I don't remember ever getting a response from her, but I monitored her online postings. She did modify her tree to reflect the information I provided, so at least I was able to correct an error from being copied by many others down the road.

As I began my genealogy research, there were few records available online, so I continued to name gather and tried to prove as best as possible. Working at a university library, which is a depository for the Canadian government, I did have access to documents like transcriptions of early Canadian marriage records as well as microfilm of the Canadian census. At least the marriage records had indexes, but one needed to know which District or county to look in (checked them all to be on the safe side). The microfilm was more challenging. It took me awhile before I discovered that reels for parts of Simcoe County were not missing,the were enumerated as Cardwell (the historical district pre-Confederation continued to be used for decades). But it was still time consuming loading, scrolling and trying to read the images as each page need to be checked as there was no index. The eyes could only take so much at a time.

LDS sold disks of the 1881 census, which I bought and used extensively. They never did expand to other years, but it would have gotten quite expensive and it was still only a transcription. I found it hard to believe that my Allen great-grandparents were both born in Quebec. When I saw an image of that census, the location had been entered as 'O' for Ontario. But the style of handwriting had a curl on the 'O' which the transcriber misread as a 'Q'.

I was overjoyed when Ancestry created a Canadian site. But even then not all of the Canadian census had been digitized, but it did speed up the research. When I had time, I would check census records for the years not yet available on Ancestry or Library and Archives Canada, but as time past, Ancestry has all of the Canadian census images available, and even better, indexed. Granted one needs to be very creative with names to find the ancestor in the index, but that just gives me more purpose to focus. I continue to prefer to use Ancestry, but if I have trouble locating someone on Ancestry, I'll search the FamilySearch.org records to see if their transcribers did a better job. Then 'Cluster Researching' will kick in and I'll search for neighbours on Ancestry to locate the image with my mistranscribed ancestry. In some cases it has been mystifying how the transriber came up with the spelling used in the index. Of course, that requires me to post a correction for the name.

There have been times that the search on FamilySearch hasn't unearthed the ancestor. If the year in question was a year transcribed by Automated Genealogy, I will search there for their transcription. Most of the transcriptions were done by individuals, involved in genealogy research, knowledgeable in the community covered by the records as opposed to the outsourcing done by Ancestry. Still not 100% accurate, but very helpful.

With the Do-Over, I haven't really had to "set my research goals" as I continue with the same goal: accurate, verified, data. It is now easier as images for all of the Canadian censuses are now online at Ancestry. Ancestry does continue to update the Ontario birth, marriage and death records each year when the Ontario Archives releases another year. Given the number of twigs in my trees were in Ontario during the years covered by Ancestry records, searching from the comfort of my home has kept me busy enough. So I have yet had to make the time for a research trip to a physical repository. Some day.

For the purposes of the Do-Over, my Research goal: Search anew all twigs on Ancestry, etc to check 'official' records (birth, marrige, death, census, directories, voter lists, cemetery photo) available online. Check all available for an individual before moving on to the next individual. In the Do-Over database, colour individual once all possible online records have been checked.

2) Self interview

Wrote a biography and included childhood memories.

Did not create a new Family Group Sheet. Accepted the one generated by Rootsmagic from data recorded in my database.

3) Conducting Family Interviews

Only a few aunts still living, as well as my mother and at least two of my aunts are suffering from dementia. Over the years, I have had many discussions of life with my mother, so I wrote a biography of my mother based on information she has provided throughout my life.

Did not create a new Family Group Sheet. Accepted the one generated by Rootsmagic from data recorded in my database.

Conclusion

Seeing some posts from people on the various genealogy related Facebook groups, I've been doing many things "right" from the beginning.

There are some individuals who refuse to enter anything into their database until they have researched the hell out of the individual, using extensive Research Logs, etc to focus on the individual. I feel comfortable entering the individual into my database and with that individual's record open in Rootsmagic, search Ancestry, etc for all the pertinent information before moving on to the next individual. I try to avoid following the BSOs, unless it involves someone connected to the person I'm currently focusing on (ie a google search for an individual references the death of a daughter-in-law). As information comes up regarding children, enter them and check all pertinent information, etc. As I feel all sources have been checked, I colour code that individual and move on to a sibling and eventually up a generation. If important information cannot be located at this point in time, I will make an entry in the To-Do List of Rootsmagic.

Eventually, these individuals will be revisited, either by Reports or GenSmarts (or any other software I may obtain)to see what pertinent information is missing and check new sources, or previous source which may have been updated since my original search.

Week 6 (May 8-14 2015)

This week's topics:
1) Evaluating evidence
2) Reviewing online education options

1) Evaluating Evidence

In his explanation, Thomas MacEntee gives a summary of his method of evaluating evidence to determine a proof point and entering them in his research log and then evaluating the found evidence to determine if the facts found can be proven or not. He admits that in the past he would accept facts in a book on the assumption that if it is in a published book, it must be true.

Once again my high school history classes have proven to be invaluable for my genealogy research.  One of my teachers taught us to evaluate the origins of a book.  To illustrate his point, he pointed to one of our textbooks.  The British author described the origins of the Boston Tea Party as being a the colonists getting into a snit.  I can't remember the exact wording, or the specific author, but the point has alway stuck with me...always take note of who is giving the information and be wary of any potential bias by that individual.  With that philosophy having been ingrained in my mind, I believe I instictively avoid what MacEntee admits to doing in the past.  And that is why I have always cited my sources, so that I am aware of potential skewing of information.

MacEntee goes on to explain in detail the process he uses to evaluate his birth certificate to determine the source type, clarity of the document, information provided and the evidence type.  His conclusion is that the birth certificate, a copy of an original record housed in a repository, would be ranked higher as a reliable record that a birth announcement published in a newspaper or a Delayed Birth Certificate filed years later which would be based on sworn affidavits by the individual or others.

I am sorry, but I feel that this it is a waste of time to go through all this process.  Or maybe it's just that I feel that I can do an acceptable (at least for me) evaluation on the fly.  In search online images of Ontario Birth records on Ancestry, if the record that comes up is a Delayed Statement of Birth, I will use the information (better than nothing in my opinion) BUT I take the information with many grains of salt - especially if it is signed by the individual in question or a sibling of similar age.  Even if signed by a parent, I acknowledge that the intervening years could lead to inaccurate information being given.

If I was a professional genealogist doing research for a client, I can see needing to spend the time backing up the information I would be putting into the report.  But for my own family history, I would rather spend the time locating more details to either continue reinforcing the facts already found, or finding another facts on that individual or others in my family tree.

I feel comfortable in doing evaluations "on the fly" and accepting the facts found on the government documents (especially when it is digital images as opposed to transcriptions), as well as newspaper announcements, funeral home obituaries and headstone photos.  I am well aware that the information provided in the later sources can be questionable, but it would be provided by a family member and be the information the family member believes to be true.

I go ahead and enter the information, even if questionable, in my database.  RootsMagic allows one to mark facts as proven, disproven or disputed.  I use that method to highlight what I question.  Even when disproven, I tend to leave the fact in the database so that I know I have already discounted the fact if I happen to come across another source using the incorrect fact.  Especially if the incorrect information is what was entered on a census form. 


2) Reviewing Online Education Options

Again, I'm not going to spend time evaluating this.  I have always been doing that with the emails I receive from various genealogy organizations and bloggers.  As well as being aware of videos available on YouTube or websites.  As the need and time permit, I do watch the videos.  As well as podcasts.

I frequently get emails advertising various online courses and webinars being run by various organizations, but when I see the cost, I decide not to spend the time and money.

MacEntee does provide a document listing some free online genealogy education resources and asks for submissions of other sources.  The list does include some that I was not aware of, so I will check them out. 


Summary

I am still glad that I signed up for the Genealogy Do-Over.  My main reason to start over with my family tree was to go back to one big tree (too many crossovers, resulting in "see" references) and to fix the improper citations done in a free-form style carried over from FamilyTreeMaker.  I figured it would be easier to start fresh than trying to fix up existing records - especially if I merged all the trees into one.

As always, when I have taken genealogy courses and workshops, I come away with something new.  And it reinforces in my mind that I have been on the right track.

Week 5 (May 1-7 2015)

This week's topics:
1) Building a Research Toolbox
2) Citing Sources

Didn't need to spend much time on getting the basics down for the topics of this week as citing sources just seems to have been second nature to me from the beginning of my genealogy habit and I've always tried to bookmark frequently vistied sites.

1) Building a Research Toolbox

Since I love to love to point and click with my mouse, over the years I have bookmarked my "go-to" websites - or in the case of Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc, my fingers automatically type in the urls.

Thomas MacEntee provided Do-Over participants with a link to his RootsTech 2015 presentation on 'Building a Research Toolbox' as well as a version of his own toolbox.  He gave links to some real gems.

I like the fact that Thomas presents an idea, explaining the rationale as well as a variety of methods and the pros and cons of each method.  He not only acknowledges that a method or format that might work for one person may not work for someone else, but he also encourages people to keep trying and modifying as one continues. 

The main purpose is to become, and stay, focused while one goes about one's genealogy research.  Working more efficiently results in more time to hunt down those illusive ancestors.

Have installed OneNote on my ipad, but encountering problems getting in on my laptop without upgrading from Office Starter 2010 to the full fledged Office package.  I'll usually have my ipad with me, leaving my laptop at home but as I do my genealogy work on the laptop, it would be easier to cut/paste sites into OneNote on the laptop, letting it synch for ipad access.

I've used Evernote over the years on a hit & miss basis and had already added the app to my ipad and iphone.  As I try to become more focused and organized, I'm trying to clean up what I have already put onto Evernote.  I have also created a folder in Evernote for my Toolbox.

But as I go about working on my genealogy on the laptop, I find I'm instinctly using the bookmarks rather than the toolbox.  However, I do feel that I have completed this week's Topic 1.


2) Citing Sources

I believe that I have alway cited my sources from the beginning of my genealogy addiction - even if it was only to record that it was verbal information from a relative, my own personal knowledge or family folklore.  But I accept that many of the citations were likely not done in proper format or providing all the necessary information. 

Some because of laziness on my part or eagerness to enter the next piece of information, but I can also blame my software.  As the years have past, the commercial software programmes have included citation templates, corresponding to Evidence Explained requirements. 

One of the reasons I had been tossing around the idea of a Do-Over of my genealogy, even before MacEntee's proposal came to light was that much of my data that had been imported from FamilyTreeMaker into RootsMagic had badly created citations.  Facts were cited and I could more than likely locate the data again, the citations were done in a free-form format and somewhat inconsistant as well as not quoting the exact information.  And too generic.  Originally I used 'WorldConnect Project' as the source for all of the trees I was accessing.  I had started creating separate citations for each tree, but have never taken the time to go back and separate out all of the citations. 

When I started using RootsMagic (version 4), it provided templates to streamline things better.  Over time, I have changed some of the old free-form citations but the time takes away from my new research.  I just accepted that the badly composed citations were there and use as guideline to locate better sources, which would be properly cited.

Reading comments from other participants on Facebook, I have come to realize that my instinct to have been citing my sources, albeit maybe not well, is not necessarily from my years of working in an academic library, but goes back to high school. 

My Grade 11 history teacher was right when he told students that we would appreciate his requirement of properly citing facts in our essays with footnotes and bibliographies.  The first essay I did for that class, I had to return to the public library to locate books I had already returned to get full bibliographic information and page numbers.  That library had outgrown its existing location and books were stacked on floors and any nook or cranny to be found as the shelves were overflowing.  Needless to say, it was quite a task to relocate the specific books I had used.  Fortunately, I had at least recorded the titles.  Anyway, lesson learned and any essay I wrote after that, I recorded full bibligraphic information and page numbers when I used data.

So when I started doing genealogy research, it was just instinctive to record the bibliographic information.  Which has worked great for books.  But my school days were long before the internet and its ever changing information and websites. 

The templates included in software has helped me to properly fill in the blanks.  I will admit that I may not always select the correct format, but in many cases I am unable an exact match.  I end up using 'Website (with multiple databases)' and avoid using 'Free form'.

I still refuse to use a unique citation for each and every census sheet used.  My database would bulge with the number of sources.  Instead, I will continue using one citation for each year and country, using the note fields to record the unique information and facts. 

The purpose of citations is that anyone could locate the data at some point in the future and I feel that my format will fulfill that requirement.  Topic 2 fulfilled.