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Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Step away from the desk

August 14, 2014 By Janine Adams 8 Comments

Leaving the house can make you a better genealogist

Thomas MacEntee and me

When I started doing genealogy research, I did all my research online, from the comfort (and isolation) of my desk. I was able to find a huge amount of information. Twenty-first century genealogy researchers are truly fortunate.

But I’ve learned that getting away from the desk and researching at other repositories can be really beneficial. When I was researching at the Midwest Genealogy Center, I was reminded of the benefits of scanning a section of books. Titles jump out that I wouldn’t have thought to search for. Friendly librarians pointed out resources I didn’t know existed. At the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, a professional genealogist on staff gave me a mini research lesson as she helped me confirm that a person I’d found was actually my great great grandfather.

There’s another way to learn by stepping away from the desk: Going to conferences. Last Saturday, I attended a one-day conference sponsored by the Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois. It was in Carterville, Illinois, two hours from my home in St. Louis. I learned about it from a blog reader, Vickie Sheridan, who commented after I expressed my disappointment over not being able to attend the Midwestern Roots Family History and Genealogy Conference in Indianapolis as planned.

The conference was terrific! I am so grateful to Vickie for telling me about it. There were at least four ways it benefited that made it well worth the time and (somewhat minimal) expense:

  • I learned a huge amount of information that will help me in my research
  • I got ideas for blog posts
  • I met Vickie
  • I met Thomas MacEntee, the conference speaker (he did four talks!), whom I’d been looking forward to meeting in Indianapolis

I’ll write more in a future post about some of the great research tips and tricks Thomas presented, but I’ll whet your appetite with this one. Tom has created what he calls a Genealogy Research Toolbox in which he has organized a huge collection of over 150 valuable genealogy links. He encourages people to use it and share it. Here it is: Genealogy Research Toolbox.

In discussing the value of curating links such as these, Thomas made a very cogent point.

Why should I spend 30 minutes looking for a link when I could spend that 30 minutes looking for my ancestors?

That’s just another way that being organized can help us be more productive researchers. I’m so glad I left my house in an effort to become a better genealogy researcher!

 

 

Filed Under: Excitement, Genealogy tips, Reflections Tagged With: conferences, connections, learning opportunities, Thomas MacEntee

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Milton says

    August 14, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Just bookmarked the Toolbox. This is another great piece of information. Thank you, Janine!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      August 14, 2014 at 8:58 pm

      You bet, Elizabeth. It really is a useful tool and it’s so generous of Tom to share it freely!

      Reply
  2. Eva Goodwin says

    August 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    I love the concept of a research toolbox. I catalog my bookmarks on bookmarkee.com in categories similar to the one’s Tom shares in his toolbox, but I also include links specific to family surnames or localities I am actively researching. What I love about bookmarkee.com (and other web-based bookmarking sites) is I can access my account from any computer or device that is hooked up online. And anytime I encounter a new resource that I think I might use, I’ll just add it with a brief description to my bookmarkee. A really great time saver for sure!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      August 14, 2014 at 8:59 pm

      Thanks for your comment, Eva! I’m not familiar with bookmarkee.com; I’ll have to check it out. I love that you get really specific with the bookmarks you create!

      Reply
  3. Jana Last says

    August 15, 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Janine,

    I want to let you know that your blog post is listed in today’s Fab Finds post at http://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2014/08/follow-friday-fab-finds-for-august-15.html

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      August 15, 2014 at 7:42 pm

      Yay!! Thanks so much, Jana!

      Reply
  4. Eowyn says

    August 18, 2014 at 11:01 am

    Hi Janine! Great post – I included it in today’s Monday’s Muse 🙂 http://www.wikichicks.wiki/2014/08/mondays-muse-for-18-august-2014.html

    Reply
    • Janine Adams says

      August 18, 2014 at 5:38 pm

      That’s terrific, Eowyn. Thank you!!

      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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