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Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

How They Do It: Amy Johnson Crow

July 4, 2017 By Janine Adams 8 Comments

Today’s entry in my How They Do It series is an interview with Amy Johnson Crow, professional genealogist and blogger at AmyJohnsonCrow.com. I really enjoy Amy’s blog, where she offers really great and practical advice, and I was privileged to do a video interview with her for her blog when we were both at RootsTech earlier this year. I hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I did. I wholeheartedly agree with her assertion that Simple is good!

How They Do It: Amy Johnson CrowHow They Do It: Amy Johnson Crow

How long have you been doing genealogy?

I’ve been interested ever since I was little. My grandma was the unofficial family historian in the family and she told me a lot of stories. I did my first “real” research in 1990 and became certified in 1995.

What’s your favorite part of doing genealogy?

The hunt. I love taking a research problem, figuring out how to approach it, finding resources, and putting it all together.

Do you consider your genealogy research well organized?

Fairly. I try to always go into it with some sort of objective. “Who are Matilda’s parents?” “Where was John in 1850?” “Why is there a gap in the ages of these children?” It helps me not go down the research rabbit hole as often (but it still happens!)

What type of software do you use for organizing your genealogy research?

I’m kind of between genealogy software programs right now. For organizing my research and my notes, I use Excel for timelines (I would be lost without timelines) and Word for my notes.

Do you keep a research log? If so, what format?

My notes are all in Word. I don’t keep a separate log, but I integrate it into my notes. I’ll add the title, etc. of whatever I’m looking at, why I’m looking at it, and what I found (and what I didn’t find).

Do you have a tree on Ancestry? If so, is it public or private? Why?

I have several trees on Ancestry. One is public, the rest are private. The public tree is for cousin bait and DNA. The private trees are for my “works in progress” and trees where I’m helping someone.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing your genealogy?

Digital files, especially photos. I’ve been known to take dozens or even hundreds of photos when I’m researching or at a cemetery. I organize them by general category, but it’s the specific tagging that trips me up. There are times when I *know* I have a photo of a particular type of tombstone, but I can’t find it.

What’s your biggest piece of advice to beginning genealogists in terms of keeping track of their research?

Get in the habit of copying or scanning the title page of whatever book you’re using. Also note when you *don’t* find something.

What do you think is the most important thing for people to do to stay organized when it comes to family history research?

Find a method that works for them. Some people have to organize by family, while others go by location or record type. (I’m more of a location-based organizer myself, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone.)

If you were starting out new as a genealogist what would you do differently?

I would have started out with better citations. Back when I first started, my genealogy software allowed all of 8 characters to record a source. So many of my earliest citations were “stone” or some code that I later had no idea what it meant. It wasn’t a whole lot of fun trying to figure out where some of those facts came from!

Do you keep paper or electronic files (or both)?

Both. As techie as I am, I still love some paper.

Are you folder or binder person for your paper files?

Folders. I find them more flexible for how I organize.

Do you use Evernote, One Note or any other electronic organizing system for your genealogy? If so, how do you use it?

I’ve dabbled in Evernote, but I don’t use it regularly.

Do you have a dedicated space in your home for doing genealogy research? What’s it like?

I have my own home office. (I joke that the best piece of office equipment that I have is my door!) I’m actually scaling it back and getting rid of an entire bookcase of books (donating them to a couple of different libraries.) I love books — I am a librarian, after all — but I find that having a workspace that’s more “minimal” helps with my work.

Do you have anything to add?

There’s a lot to be said for organizing how it makes sense and is comfortable for you. However, I would encourage people not to make their systems too complicated. If another researcher or a family member ever has to go through your papers later and it isn’t clear how things are organized, that’s when research ends up getting tossed. Simple is good.

Amen, sister! A great example both of a simple organizing strategy and the kind of practical advice that Amy shares on her blog is one of her favorite posts (and mine), The Easy, Low-Tech Way to Label Scanned Photos. Organizing systems don’t have to be complicated–in fact we think it’s better if they aren’t!

 

Filed Under: Challenges, Excitement, Genealogy tips, Organizing Tagged With: amy johnson crow, How They Do It, organizing aids

Comments

  1. Barbara Shirey says

    July 4, 2017 at 10:03 am

    Great interview! I follow both of you ladies and am very inspired by your efforts. I always take away some hints to make my research efforts better, especially thinking of those who may take it over someday. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      July 4, 2017 at 10:29 am

      Thanks, so much, Barbara! Your comment made my day–I appreciate your taking the time to leave it!

      Reply
  2. savannahzmomma1 says

    July 4, 2017 at 7:08 pm

    Great Q and A! Love the idea of the “public tree” for cousin bait! I will start a new carefully researched tree from the ground up for the public.

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      July 6, 2017 at 5:21 pm

      Thanks! I bet your cousins will appreciate your efforts!

      Reply
  3. Shelley says

    July 6, 2017 at 10:03 am

    This series is one of my favorites. I started my genealogy about 30 years ago and took a long hiatus while raising kids. Now I’m needing to go back to the beginning to bring everything up to the digital era. I love hearing suggestions on how to organize, digitize all of my data.

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      July 6, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Thanks so much, Shelley! I’m glad you enjoy the series. Enjoy your refound passion for genealogy!

      Reply
  4. Jo Henn says

    July 31, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    Great interview! Both of you were among the first genealogy-blogs I followed, and still ones I read regularly. I’ve learned so much from you both!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      July 31, 2017 at 6:00 pm

      What a nice thing for you to say, Jo. Thank you. Your comment made my day!

      Reply

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about me

I'm Janine Adams, a professional organizer and a genealogy enthusiast. I love doing family history research, but I find it's very easy for me to get overwhelmed and not know where to turn next. So I'm working hard to stay organized and feel in control as I grow my family tree.

In this blog, I share my discoveries and explorations, along with my organizing challenges (and solutions). I hope by sharing what I learn along the way I'll be able to help you stay focused and have fun while you do your research, too.

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