I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between being a genealogy searcher and being a genealogy researcher. It’s so much fun to go online and track down documents and attach them to a tree or download them. (I know some people like to print them, but not me.) Because so many searchers attach documents to Ancestry trees without evaluating them we end up with an alarming number of inaccurate trees there.
That’s being a searcher. In my opinion, we’re not really researchers unless we analyze the documents we find so that we know they pertain to the person we’re researching, then go through them with a fine-toothed comb, extracting information and storing that data somewhere–with a source citation.
As I’ve written in my post on how I process a downloaded document, I have a digital workflow for the documents I find online, after I determine they belong to my ancestor. In short, I create a source citation and analyze and extract all information from the document and enter that information into my genealogy software. (I use Reunion). I then file the document. On a good day, I process each document as soon as I find it. That’s always my goal.
But the reality is that, especially since I tend to research in short spurts (like 30 minutes a day), I sometimes end up with documents on my hard drive that I’ve downloaded but not yet processed. That’s been happening a lot recently. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I have over 100 documents that I have downloaded that are hanging out on my hard drive, waiting for me process. (At least I changed the file name when I downloaded the documents, so I know at a glance what they are.)
The thing is, these documents won’t do me any good until I process them. I need to read and analyze them and add all facts (with source citation) to my genealogy software in order to benefit from them. But it’s so hard to resist searching, especially when search possibilities pop to mind as I read the downloaded documents.
I want to be a researcher, not a mere searcher. So here’s my vow:
Until the backlog is gone, I will not download any more genealogy documents to my hard drive. I also won’t go to any libraries and bring home paper documents. When searches pop to mind, I will store them in the appropriate follow up notebook in Evernote to look at when the backlog is gone.
I’m hoping to take a research trip to Kentucky in October. This adds extra urgency to my resolve to get rid of my backlog. You can bet I’ll post here when the backlog is gone!
Do any of you have this particular challenge? Let me know if you’d like to join me in resolving to do no more searching until your backlog of documents you’ve already found is gone. I’d love the company!
Oh, I DO have that challenge. But I won’t take your pledge to not download anything else until my backlog is cleared. I’m continuing to download relevant documents I come across because I have trust issues — I don’t trust that the document will still be online when I am ready for it, or that I will be able to find it. Instead I download it all, or maybe just make a note, depending on the source.
If it is on Family Search, I will just save the document to my account toolbox, in folders organized by family branch. Then in my very simplified research log that I keep in Evernote (I got that idea from you!) I make a list of things I’ve found that day. When I’ve actually downloaded and processed the item, I strike-through the item. If it is from Ancestry, or a similar site, I just add a link to the document to my research log, and strike-through when I process it.
If it is from a site that I fear may not be around in the future, or a document that is immediately relevant to the family I’m working on, I go ahead and download the document, and create a note in Evernote to attach the document to. I add a note link to my research log, and when I process it, I strike-through the note link.
I still have a lot of unprocessed links, but I can see at a glance what they are, and attack the ones that are relevant to my immediate research task. This method isn’t for everyone, but it works for me!
Sounds like a great system for you, Kim! I love that you’re integrating it into your Evernote log and that you can tell at a glance what you’ve got. My plan is to be through my backlog within a month, so I’m not too concerned about documents available now not being there when I look later–but I’m putting a hold on actually searching (for the most part) until the backlog is finished. I just don’t want the overwhelming backlog to grow more overwhelming!
Thanks for sharing your method.
I 100% agree with this. I’ve been trying to express the same sentiment to those I talk to about genealogy. However, I’ve used the terms hunter and gatherer. A gatherer being the on that goes around an collects what is available (fruits, berries, herbs, etc.) and there is very little, if any, processing of what is found. A hunter, on the other hand, does more skillful searching and tracking of the prey. But a hunter is not done with the kill. Once acquired, there is usually quite a deal of processing involved to make the hunt useful and successful.
Unfortunately, I too have a backlog of items that I’ve gathered, that need processed. So, I think I’ll follow your lead and commit myself to reducing my backlog. Thank you for your thoughts and happy hunting!!
Good point, Janine. I have so many documents at home (printed and digital) that need analyzing. And re-analyzing.. and re-re-analyzing 🙂 Love your challenge. As I am still working on going totally digital, I am working through every document when I scan it. It’s stunning, how often I find information I hadn’t seen before.
Just found your blog and I am excited! I have recently been bitten by the family history bug and I love doing research, but seem to have started a snowball that is rolling downhill. I like to be organized, but needed direction. Have been searching for guidance and finally found you! Thank you for all you share, I have read several posts in the last 30 minutes and will read more, and more, and more…and organize and research and discover the magic and challenges that are ahead for me.
Colleen, welcome to the wonderful world of genealogy research! I’m so glad you found the blog helpful. If there’s something specific you’d like to write a post about, don’t hesitate to suggest it. Thanks for your nice note!