Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Finding the time for research

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I love doing family history research, but I have to admit that it can be challenging to carve out the time to do it.

Part of the reason is that I always think I want a large chunk of time to work with. I know that once I sink my teeth into a research challenge, it can be hard to stop. But I also know that if I wait until I have a large chunk of time, I may be waiting a very long time. (This is true of so many things, especially decluttering. On my organizing business’s blog, I’ve talked about the power of working on things just a few minutes at a time.)

Yesterday, I had an afternoon without outside obligations. I’m just back from visiting my parents and I have a (non-genealogy) to-do list as long as my arm. But I decided to take some time out to check out the genealogy room at the newly re-opened Central Branch of the St. Louis Public Library in downtown St. Louis. The library was closed for renovation for over a year and it’s a sight to behold. I took the opportunity to acquaint myself with the genealogical holdings of the library and am very excited to make use of this resource.

Another day soon I want to check out an LDS FamilySearch Center here in St. Louis. Taking the time to actually leave my office to check out resources or do some research sometimes can feel really challenging. But I know it’s how I’ll actually manage to make some real progress in my family history research, something I really want to do in the coming year.

Making time for family history research (or any other hobby) is about priorities. I want to make this a big priority for 2013. And I look forward to talking here about some of the progress I make!

Setting my genealogy goals

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One of my favorite things about December is goal setting. I take stock of the year and how did on the goals I set the prior December. And then I create new goals for the coming year. I do this for my organizing business every year, but this will be the first year I’ve set specific goals for my family history research.

I think having goals will help me get past the overwhelmed feeling I sometimes get when I think about my family history research. I think I’ll also create a running wish list, a place to capture research subjects or activities I’d like to do at some point. That will help with the “what should I work on today?” question that comes up from time to time.

I’m going to spend some time honing my genealogy goals over the course of the month, so these might change. But right now, the goals that occur to me are:

  • Take a research trip
  • Meet some of my new-found cousins
  • Attend at least one genealogy-related conference
  • Learn about and take advantage of local research opportunities
  • Do family history research at least twice a week
  • Post to this blog twice a week
  • Increase the readership of this blog

I’m noticing that none of these goals are related to actual research results or the research that I want to accomplish. And that’s okay with me. I’m a big believer in doing things a little at a time and rewarding effort, rather than results. I don’t know where my research is going to take me and I’m really enjoying the journey. So my goal for next year is continue with the research and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Picking my parents’ brains

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I’m going next week to visit my parents in Walla Walla, Washington. I’ve kicked myself over the past year for not asking them more questions (or listening better when they volunteered information) about family lore and ancestors when we were all younger. Their memories aren’t as good as they were twenty years ago, naturally.

When I’m there visiting, I plan to ask a few questions that have come up as I’ve been doing genealogy research this year. I don’t know if they’ll be able to answer them, but I have to ask.

And here’s the tiny thing I’m doing that feels kind of radical. I’m actually writing down the questions, even the small curiosities. I’m not relying on my memory. I’m not going to assume that there will be a natural opportunity to ask these questions. I’m writing them in my notebook and at some point I’m going to pull out that notebook and interview my parents. And the notebook will be handy for writing down their responses.

My parents’ memories aren’t the only ones deteriorating with age. My memory is definitely not what it used to be (I’m 50) and I’m not going to take any chances.

If you’re visiting with family members over the holidays, you might jot down some questions to ask them. I so wish I’d done it years ago!

 

Civil War recordkeeping

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Laban Taylor Rasco Civil War documentToday I had the good fortune to find the Civil War records for my great-great-grandfather (my paternal grandmother’s paternal grandfather), Laban Taylor Rasco. I initially found him listed in Alabama, Census of Confederate Soldiers, a document I found on Ancestry.com. That listed his company and regiment (he fought for the Confederate Army), which allowed me to easily find a lot of documents at Fold3.com.

He’s not the first Civil War ancestor for whom I’ve found documents, but he is the first on the Confederate side. Through the documents, I learned that he was injured in the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgie in September 1863 and that he was a held as a prisoner of war in a Union prison camp in Talladega, Alabama, and paroled on June 3, 1865, after the war had ended.

Of course, I’m dazzled and amazed that in a matter of a few minutes I can uncover and read these documents via the miracles of scanning and the internet.

But I’m also really amazed by the recordkeeping that took place in this war. When you consider that most forms were filled out by hand and that thousands upon thousands of soldiers fought, it’s remarkable. My great great grandfather was a mere private and today I saw 10 different documents.

I saw the movie Lincoln this weekend (and heartily recommend it) and it brought to life the absence of technology of that era. I am so impressed with the organizational skills that allowed these records to be kept and retained. And, of course, it’s very impressive that they continue to be well organized and accessible.