Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Update on my backlog busting

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A month ago today, I wrote a post called searcher vs. researcher, in which I talked about how I’d accumulated a backlog of documents I’d downloaded but done nothing with. I vowed that until I had processed that backlog (using my digital workflow) I would not search for any new documents.

Then I had to amend that vow a little when I realized how difficult it was for me to completely stop searching. I decided that I would search on occasion, but I would process anything I downloaded so that I wouldn’t add to the backlog

Since I started this process, I’ve been diligent about chipping away at my backlog, I’m happy to report. In my informal Evernote research log, I note which documents I processed and the day’s contribution to the backlog reduction.

I even created a simple spreadsheet (of course) that I store in Evernote and update after each session. That little burst of accomplishment keeps me going. Today’s spreadsheet is pictured above; you can click on it to make it bigger if you’re interested.

As of today, September 25, I have processed 62 of the 103 documents in my backlog. I have just 41 to go and am looking forward to the great feeling of finishing. All along, I’ve been making follow up notes (in Evernote), so I’ll have plenty of searching to do when I finish. I’m going to try hard not to let a backlog build up again!

Generations Cafe: A new podcast from Amy Johnson Crow

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New podcast from Amy Johnson CrowI’m an unabashed fan of genealogist, writer, and lecturer Amy Johnson Crow. I always jump at the chance to hear her speak at a conference. And I was thrilled when she interviewed me at RootsTech a few years ago. Most recently, I was able hear her speak for two days at the Missouri State Genealogical Society conference in August. In her talks, Amy always delivers solid, well-presented information.

At that conference, she confided in me that she was going to start a podcast. I was happy to hear that because I’m a big fan of podcasts and I know she has so much to share.

That new podcast, Generations Cafe, launched on September 20. Amy has published three episodes so far and they’re excellent. Her podcasts are short and focused. (The first three are between 10 and 15 minutes each.)

Since my own podcast is about getting over perfectionism, I was delighted that the first episode of her podcast was called Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Genealogy? (And I was tickled pink to hear her mention my name in that episode!)

If you don’t love podcasts (or haven’t tried them and are unsure), definitely check out the Generations Cafe posts on Amy’s website because for each episode she has written an accompanying blog post that provides, in written form, the information that is shared in the podcast.

I’m very excited to see what Amy will be exploring and her podcast will definitely be on my list of must-listens!

 

 

Join me on October 13 at the St. Louis Genealogy Conference

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St. Louis Genealogy ConferenceThe St. Louis Genealogy Conference, a free conference sponsored by the St. Louis Missouri Stake of the LDS church, is less than a month away! Registration is still open. If you’re in the St. Louis area, I encourage you to attend.

The conference will be held Saturday, October 13, from 8:45 am to 2:45 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 15081 Clayton Road, Chesterfield, MO 63107. This will be my third year attending. The organizers do a great job of putting together a professional conference, with a rich and varied schedule of classes. I’m honored to be presenting for the second year in a row.

I’ll be speaking about staying focused in your research, something I know many of us struggle with. Other topics to be covered include courthouse research, early American research, newspaper research, DNA, and sessions on specific repositories. There’s a beginner’s track, as well as a track on German research. All at no cost to the participants.

If you plan to attend, please let me know in the comments or via email. I’d love to meet you!

Ancestry DNA updates its ethnicity estimates

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On September 12, Ancestry DNA debuted its “enhanced” ethnicity estimates based on a much larger reference sample (16,000 versus 3,000 reference samples) and improved algorithms. Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist, has a great blog post explaining it.

Comparing my own older and newer ethnicity estimates, fewer ethnicities are represented. My percentage Irish/Scottish has gone up and my percentage Scandinavian has gone down (and the Scandinavian countries are now mentioned specifically). If I’m reading it correctly, ethnicities that represented 20% of the estimate are now gone. Interestingly enough, the new estimate much more closely resembles the MyHeritage estimate I received when I transferred my DNA data there recently (free of charge).

Here is a summary of my old estimate, taken from Ancestry’s site today:

And here’s the new estimate:

And, just for kicks, here’s my MyHeritage ethnicity estimate:

If you’ve tested your DNA through Ancestry and haven’t checked your ethnicity estimate in the last week, I encourage you to hop over there and check it out! (And, if you haven’t already, you can transfer your raw DNA to MyHeritage here.)

By the way, I found this support page on Ancestry that explains how to make the most of your ethnicity estimate. It was news to me, so I thought I’d share.

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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.