Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Enjoy RootsTech from home

By Leave a Comment

rootstechlogoI’m in Salt Lake City at RootsTech 2014, a fantastic conference. My brain practically hurts from all the learning. And being around thousands of fellow genealogy enthusiasts is really energizing.

At the opening keynote, this lovely video debuted. I’ve enjoyed watching it since, and think you might like it too.

If you weren’t able to come, you can still benefit from some of the learning opportunities. Some of the sessions will be live streamed. Check out the live streaming schedule and perhaps you’ll be able to schedule some time today and tomorrow to watch live. You can read session descriptions first, so that you can see whether the streamed sessions will be of interest to you. To watch live, just go to the RootsTech homepage. Streaming videos are right there.

Some of the presentations will be archived. You’ll be able to find them here. Over at the RootsTech YouTube channel, you can watch interviews with various luminaries in the world of genealogy.

This year’s conference is large, but extremely well organized so it’s not overwhelming. Next year’s will be super-sized, since it’s being held Federation of Genealogical Societies conference. Mark your calendars for February 12 to 14, 2015.

The Research Tracker in Springpad

By Leave a Comment

researchtrackersampleOne of the features of the Family History Organizer custom notebook I created for Springpad is the Research Tracker tab. Since I started getting serious about family history research about 18  months ago, I knew I needed to do a better job of keeping a research log. I tried a spreadsheet, but failed to keep up with it. I think the problem was that I had so many columns to fill out, it felt overwhelming.

So when Springpad asked me to create this notebook, I requested a place to easily record research sessions. It includes headers that can be copied and pasted into a fresh note for each research session. (I made up the headers that make sense to me, but you can easily edit them so that you’re copying and pasting headers that work better for you.)

I’ve been using the Research Tracker for a couple of weeks and have found that it’s really helpful. I start creating a new note at the beginning of each session, which helps me identify the information I’m looking for in the session. I like that when I finish filling it out at the end of the session, I identify next steps in the research.

I think what I like most about it is that it’s simple and non-intimidating. It may not be as thorough as a formal research log, but it’s way better than what I was recording before (which was nothing). Since I’m trying to do research five days a week (or at least work on organizing my research), I have plenty to enter and am feeling optimistic that this will keep me on track.

If you’re interested in trying it out, simply download the Family History Organizer notebook into your free Springpad account. (Or learn more about the notebook before downloading.)

Quick technology update

By 3 Comments

ihearttechOver the last couple of months I pondered purchasing some technology to help me in my family history research. I panted over the ScanSnap SV600 contactless scanner. And I asked your opinion about whether I should get an iPad air to help with genealogy.

Guess what? I bought both!

On December 26, I purchased a 64-gigabyte, wifi-only, white iPad Air. And I ordered the scanner on December 29, though it arrived about a week ago.

So far, I haven’t had the opportunity to use the iPad much for genealogy. My research has been done at my desk and I prefer to use my MacBook Pro (with external monitor, keyboard and mouse) at my desk. But I’m traveling this week to do some business planning (but probably not any genealogy research) and I suspect my iPad will get lots of use.I bought Lisa Louise Cooke’s ebook, Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse, but I haven’t read it yet. That may become airplane reading for me.

I’m really struck by the speed and lightness of the iPad Air, especially compared with the iPad 1 that I purchased in 2010. (And sold in 2013.) It’s also much faster than my iPhone 4S and makes it feel downright clunky.

The ScanSnap SV600 is actually smaller than I expected (which is a good thing). I had no difficulty setting it up, but I’m finding there’s a bit of a learning curve in using it. I haven’t yet set aside the time to figure out exactly how to manipulate the images after scanning to remove the curvature of a book, for example. But it’s all very promising.

Once I start really using this technology, I’ll let you know how useful I find both of these new toys!

My new Family History Organizer notebook on Springpad

By 8 Comments

sp_fam_hist_orgI’ve become a fan of Springpad, a personal organizer app for the web and mobile devices. I use it to manage tasks and keep track of things like books I want to read and have read, movies, and wines. So far, I’m just scratching the surface of its functionality, but I really am loving it. I wrote on my Peace of Mind Organizing blog about how much I’m loving their Task Notebook.

To me, Springpad feels like Evernote meets Pinterest. I find it intuitive, easy to use, and visually appealing.

I am thrilled to announce that I’ve partnered with Springpad to create a digital notebook that’s customized to help you organize your family history. Called the Family History Organizer, it has these features:

  • A simple to-do list to keep track of and plan next steps, including a quick +Add button for adding tasks and checklists
  • A research tracker, complete with template form, so you can log information and research progress quickly and easily
  • An easy “database” for uploading photos and files scanned to your computer or from your phone
  • Bonus: A resources section filled with my tips and helpful tools

I created the research tracker because I have a hard time sticking with a proper research log. The research tracker is light version of a research log, but I think the information it captures will be helpful. Just copy and paste the template headings into a new Note within the Research Tracker tab at the conclusion of each research session and you’ll have an easy, accessible record of that session.

I’ll update the resources section of the Family History Organizer when I come across great resources (or when I want to share a particularly useful blog post).

I hope you’ll check out this custom notebook. If you’re interested in information and tools about organizing in general (not just genealogy), I also have a notebook called The Habit Maker. This is all part of Springpad’s Operation Organization campaign in which they’ve partnered with a small group of organizing experts to create a dozen or so of these notebooks.

If you try out the Family History Organizer, please let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

Join the mailing list!

When you first join the list, I’ll send you a few emails to help you organize your family history. After that you’ll hear from me at the end of every month when I send an email with links to that month’s posts. And every now and then, I’ll let you know when I have something special to promote.