Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

How They Do It: Lisa Alzo

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It’s back! I’ve  turned my attention back to my How They Do It series and and delighted to present this interview with Lisa Alzo. Lisa is a genealogy writer, lecturer and researcher who is very popular on the genealogy speakers’ circuit–I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her speak on several occasions. Among the many topics Lisa writes and speaks about is organizing genealogy research, so naturally I’ve been drawn to her! Lisa is a specialist in eastern European genealogy and is the author of ten books, including The Family Tree Polish, Czech & Slovak Genealogy Guide and Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak and Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions, 2nd edition. She’s also written numerous articles for genealogy magazines.

How They Do It - Lisa AlzoHow They Do It: Lisa Also

How long have you been doing genealogy? 

30 years

What’s your favorite thing about being a genealogist?

No matter how long you have been researching, or how many ancestors you have found, there is always someone or something new to discover.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing your genealogy?

Filing papers/documents. I am trying to move into a more paperless system.

What is your favorite technology tool for genealogy?

Tie: Trello for organizing ideas and projects and Scrivener for writing family stories.

If you were starting out new as a genealogist what would you do differently?

Not start with a female ancestor (I began researching my maternal grandmother) because females are more challenging to trace.

Do you keep a research log? If so, what format?

Yes. I use an Excel spreadsheet.

How do you keep track of clues or ideas for further research?

I create research boards in Trello.

How do you go about sharing your personal research with cousins or other interested parties?

Through my articles and I wrote a book about my family, Three Slovak Women. I write the blog called The Accidental Genealogist (started in 2006).

What’s the most important thing you do to prepare for a research trip?

I use Finding Aids whenever available to learn what materials are available at a library or repository and the procedures for access.

What’s your biggest piece of advice to genealogists in terms of organizing their research?

Break the tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces and find a system that works for you and stick with it.

Do you have a dedicated space in your home for doing genealogy research? What’s it like?

I have a home office because I am self-employed. But, because I travel so much to speak at conferences I often do a lot of my research on my MacBook Air – so my space is really my computer.

Do you have anything to add?

Genealogy is one part skill, one part persistence and one part serendipity. My genealogy motto is: Be serious about your research, but have fun doing it!

I absolutely love that genealogy motto! And I’m intrigued with her use of Trello, which I’m using more and more. Thank you, Lisa, for taking the time to share your insights. You can learn more about Lisa and her work at her website, LisaAlzo.com. Be sure and check out her blog, The Accidental Genealogist as well!

How They Do It: Sunny Morton

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The latest interviewee in my How They Do It series is genealogy educator Sunny Morton. I’m familiar with Sunny’s work with Lisa Louise Cooke (who was the subject of my January How They Do It Interview) and Family Tree Magazine. She leads the Genealogy Gems book club and is the author of Genealogy Giants: Comparing the 4 Major Websites. I haven’t yet met Sunny, but based on what I read in this interview, I really look forward to meeting her! Her love for her genealogy and her family shines through.

How They Do It: Sunny Morton

How long have you been doing genealogy?

I’ve participated in personal and family history for just about my entire life. I began keeping a diary at around age 8. As a young teen, I created my first travel scrapbook: a magnetic album packed with notes, receipts, ticket stubs, postcards and even pine needles from a cross-country trip with my family. I kept every letter I ever received, filed alphabetically by the person’s first name, until my early 20s. I still have a couple of binders filled with printouts of the first several hundred personal emails I sent and received, before I realized these were something you could (and should) archive electronically. As an adult, I have compiled more than 40 scrapbooks filled with memories from my own life and those of my relatives.

When I was young, my parents took me along on genealogy road trips. I remember finding gravestones in cemeteries and paging through enormous bound volumes of original newspapers. My grandmother loved to organize photos and negatives and I became her eager assistant. As a young adult, I digitized several years’ worth of family slides and tattered old photo albums. About 15 years ago, I began researching my husband’s family history, since he knew very little about it.

What’s your favorite thing about being a genealogist?

Knowing stories about what came before me. I feel more confident about who I am and why I am that way. I believe that learning about my ancestors has made me less judgmental of my own parents and grandparents and strengthened my relationships with them. I’m a more compassionate human being and a more informed citizen when it comes to having a historical perspective on topics such as civil rights and immigration.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing your genealogy?

The transition from paper to paperless. I mentioned that I kept hundreds of letters and emails: what do I do with those? What about those archival scrapbooks, in which I’ve invested thousands of dollars and which are just barely too large to put on my scanner? I know there are ways to digitize these things for safe-keeping and so I can share them with all 3 children. But “editing” which items to scan and doing it would take hundreds of hours that I currently prefer to spend making memories with my children.

The other challenge is organizing tree data. I research across all of the major genealogy websites. I keep “working trees” on all those sites because then I can search and receive hints from each ancestor’s profile. But it’s best to have a master family tree where all the data and record image copies gets compiled. I keep a master, private tree in RootsMagic software. I also participate in the FamilySearch global tree so my research gets shared more widely. Though there can be complications when others dispute details on this open-forum tree, I love the collaborative contributions of many people’s documents, stories and pictures to our common ancestral profiles.

What is your favorite technology tool for genealogy?

My smartphone. It’s always with me, and I can use it in so many ways. I can access my tree data through apps for my software, FamilySearch and Ancestry.com. When I’m the road, I can take pictures of documents, microfilmed records (right from the reader!), other people’s old pictures, family artifacts and gravestones. I can even record oral history interviews, either in audio or video format.

If you were starting out new as a genealogist what would you do differently?

I inherited a lot of genealogy research from others, so for a long time, I ignored recent generations on my own tree. I considered this research “already done” and therefore kind of boring. If I were starting over, I’d spend a lot more time getting to know my grandparents’ generation.

Do you keep a research log? If so, what format?

I keep informal research logs in Word documents. Each ancestor has a document with running commentary about my discoveries and next steps for my research.

How do you keep track of clues or ideas for further research?

I keep them in my research logs for each individual. Toward the end of the document, in the “Next steps” section, I keep notes on intriguing questions to research or resources I’d like to explore sometime.

Sunny with husband Jeremy and her children Jeremy, Alex and Seneca.

How do you go about sharing your personal research with cousins or other interested parties?

Most of my sharing happens in the form of telling stories: mostly to my children, but also to my husband, parents or other relatives who may be interested. Telling a story helps me learn which parts are most interesting to which audiences. Sometimes, I take a next step by framing a photo, creating a display or sharing a quick post on Facebook. I do participate in the FamilySearch global tree, which is an easy and organized way to reach potentially thousands of fellow descendants. Although I have written longer articles for genealogy newsletters and historical journals, most of my longer writing projects will have to wait until I’ve finished raising my three children. (That’s Sunny in the photo at left, making memories by participating as a family in a 5k race in July 2018.)

What’s the most important thing you do to prepare for a research trip?

I like to do three things: review what I already know, see what else I can learn online before I go, and locate unique offline sources that may only be discovered while on that trip. This makes my research efforts on the road more productive. A few phone calls to local archives and libraries ahead of time can help me plan my time most effectively, identify must-consult sources and connect with local experts (and perhaps even descendants). I can set priorities about the most important things to accomplish while I’m there and systematically go down my list.

Occasionally, there’s not sufficient time to prepare fully for a research trip. When that happens, I’m just grateful I have my laptop and my phone—which together give me access to all my research, note-taking and organizing tools. I try to at least gather information about the people and libraries I will want to connect with in the future, and take as many pictures as I can.

Do you have a dedicated space in your home for doing genealogy research? What’s it like?

I have a home office with lots of bookshelves for organizing my how-to genealogy research library, storing whatever documents I have in print format and displaying favorite family artifacts and photos. It’s an inspiring, comfortable place, filled with memories and mementos. My favorite mementos are the special cards and crafts my children have made me over the years: they remind me to get up from my desk and make memories with them.

So many great nuggets in here, from the beautiful explanation of how being a genealogist makes one a better human being to the very practical (and, for me, freeing) suggestion of taking a smartphone photo of a document right from the microfilm reader. I tend to be phone averse, but Sunny has inspired me to actually pick up the phone and call local archives and libraries before a research trip. I so appreciate how Sunny puts the emphasis on the family in family history research and how her love for her family imbues the answers to these questions. Thank you, Sunny!

If you’d like to explore more of Sunny’s work, check out her website for her speaking calendar and links to articles. You can watch the video (and read the handout) of her RootsTech 2017 lecture on the comparing the four major “Genealogy Giants” websites on this page of the Genealogy Gems website..

How They Do It: Paula Stuart-Warren

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This month’s How They Do It entry is from Paula Stuart-Warren, certified genealogist and well-known genealogy lecturer, instructor and blogger. She is a long-time course coordinator and instructor for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. She has presented courses for Ancestry Academy, Family Tree University, and continues to present seminars all across the U.S. and in Canada.

I had a lovely time interviewing Paula for the What the Pros Know workshop I’m hosting for Family Tree University. I was delighted when she agreed to answer my How They Do It questions!

How They Do It: Paula Stuart-Warren

How They Do It: Paula Stuart-Warren

How long have you been doing genealogy?

I began working on family history a bit in 1977 when my oldest son had one of those magic school assignments that you are supposed to complete in a weekend. I was intrigued when my late father-in-law insisted his mother’s maiden name was Warren and I said that was her married name. Guess what! He was correct. His parents were first cousins, once removed. The biggest impetus was taking community college courses on Minnesota and local history. The professor provided much help for tracing a business owned by my maternal great grandaunts. A few years later I took a beginning genealogy course for adults at a nearby university. It gave me a great foundation. I was hooked.

What’s your favorite thing about being a genealogist?

The investigation and the answers. I can’t stop. I need the answers. Then there
are the people I have met in the state genealogical society and at seminars, institutes, and conferences across the country when I do presentations.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing your genealogy?

Making myself do it continually. I have small families so that part is not difficult. My best decision was to label one box “Dad’s Family” and another “Mom’s Family.” Then I can add new finds to that box and file properly later when I have time. I have less trouble downloading items directly into the appropriate file on my computer! For my research clients, I really do a better job. Why??

What is your favorite technology tool for genealogy?

It’s actually my laptop computer because I can take it everywhere and work from anywhere. It’s truly an extension of my brain.

If you were starting out new as a genealogist what would you do differently?

I would do a better job of citing where I found information. I didn’t do a horrible job because I learned well at the beginning, but I am far from perfect.

Do you keep a research log? If so, what format?

I did that at one time and made my own with more space for citations and remarks. Today I do personal reports, the same way I do for clients.

How do you keep track of clues or ideas for further research?

I have lists in “to do” folders in my computer that are labeled by research repository and then divided by family or type of record. The repository or website set up determines how I structure my lists. I have begun to use Evernote for some.

How do you go about sharing your personal research with cousins or other interested parties?

I am now adding to my bare bones trees on some websites, provide material when they ask, do some personal stuff on my own blog, and I have shared special things at Christmas. I have had them open up a big envelope all at the same time.

What’s the most important thing you do to prepare for a research trip?

Thoroughly scour the websites of convention and visitor bureaus but most importantly do the same for the courthouse, library or archive I will be visiting.

What’s your biggest piece of advice to genealogists in terms of organizing their research?

Set up an appointment to do sorting and filing and KEEP that appointment. Once a week? Once a month?

Paula Stuart-Warren's genealogy space

Paula’s genealogy den

Do you have a dedicated space in your home for doing genealogy research? What’s it like?

I have a small den, but my computer and I are more likely to be found in the living room where there are nice big windows that add great light.

Do you have anything to add?

Bring in a friend, neighbor, aunt, or fellow genealogist and have them give you an outsider’s opinion on your work area. My daughter is great at this.

I love the idea of setting up (and keeping) an appointment with yourself to work on organizing your genealogy research. And, like Paula, my favorite tech tool for genealogy is my laptop. I take it with me wherever I research.

You can read more of Paula’s genealogy wisdom on her blog, Genealogy by Paula. Thank you so much for partcipating, Paula! 

How They Do It: Barbara Schmidt

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I’m delighted to present a How They Do It interviewee from Europe! Barbara Schmidt is a communication specialist and genealogy researcher in Frankfurt, Germany, whom I met at RootsTech in 2017. She’s active in social media for both her work and her genealogy. Her blog Connecting the Worlds is doing exactly that: Connecting her worlds of genealogy, corporate history (she is a member of the historical association of Deutsche Bank), and everything around being and living digital including Working Out Loud.

Barbara speaks at genealogy events on topics like how to connect with other researchers through forums, social media, blogs, and how to travel safely through this new digital world. She blogs in English and German with the same overall topics but different angles.

How They Do It: Barbara SchmidtHow They Do It: Barbara Schmidt

How long have you been doing genealogy?

I started with researching my family tree when I was about 20 years old. That makes it now 25 years, It’s amazing, how time flies. Sometimes it feels like I just started. There are still moments today where I act and research like a rookie.

What’s your favorite thing about being a genealogist?

When I started I just wanted to get an overview of my big family at the usual family gatherings like weddings, baptisms and funerals. As a child I never really understood who was who and who belonged to whom. All those aunts and uncles and siblings of my grandparents who were called aunt or uncle. All of them having three names didn’t help either. But throughout the years my motivation to keep going is coming from the small and big stories I learnt about my family.

And my biggest highlight is always when I “meet” new family members. I re-connected my father with his cousin after 42 years, that was really emotional for me and his cousin’s wife. They behaved like they had just seen each other the week before. It was so typical northern German – not a lot of words.

I learnt about a family branch that emigrated to the United States and got in contact with one of the descendants. And just later I realized, he is a real cousin of my mom. Or I met a distant cousin of my Dad last year who was on a Germany visit from Australia. Those are the big moments. But there are lots and lots small ones. Too many to mention them all.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing your genealogy?

I tend to re-invent my organizing system every couple of years. I haven’t really found THE system yet. I always want to go digital because I cannot stand paper. It takes up too much space and I always get lost in the paper piles and files. The bigger my family tree and the more documents I had to store the more I got overwhelmed with finding the “perfect” system. Until I realized there is no perfection in organizing my genealogy. I had to find MY system. That took about 20 years until I found something that really worked.

What is your favorite technology tool for genealogy?

Definitely my scanner! I mentioned before I want to go digital. Which means I either only order digital copies of documents or if I receive paper copies I scan them and destroy the paper. Only copies of course. Originals get stored in specific acid free binders. No paper clips, no glue, no rubber bands. [I asked Barbara what kind of scanner she uses and it’s an HP MP500 flatbed/sheetfed scanner. — Janine]

If you were starting out new as a genealogist what would you do differently?

I would ask more questions and would research more within my own family when they are still alive. I spent way too much money ordering documents from archives to receive information which would have been easily available if I would have just asked.

Do you keep a research log? If so, what format?

Upon your recommendation I actually started using a research log but I don’t really keep up with them, to be honest. Again, I haven’t really found a system yet how to really incorporate it into my research. I tried various templates, on- and offline. In the cloud or on my desktop but I find myself not really using them. Although I really understand that they are helpful. But I’m not there yet.

How do you keep track of clues or ideas for further research?

I use Evernote a lot. I take notes of ideas not only for further research but also for my blog. I travel a lot, therefore I need something that synchronizes on all my devices like notebook, smartphone and tablet. I am also a heavy user of audio notes on my smartphone. For me that is the best way to set reminders for myself when a thought crosses my mind.

How do you go about sharing your personal research with cousins or other interested parties?
 
Unfortunately, my family is not really interested in my family research, except for my direct family like my parents and some of my siblings. But for interested parties I share my family tree online via Ancestry and wikitree. I am all for sharing and exchanging information. I make one exception though and that is pictures. Most important for me when we talk about a platform to share is the possibility to synchronize on all my devices. That’s why I work with the ancestry app.

What’s the most important thing you do to prepare for a research trip?

Portable battery chargers (powerbanks)! No kidding. When I started going digital in archives it happened more than once that I had to stop because I had no way to charge my devices. Now I always carry at least 2 powerbanks with me and make sure I have all the charging cables. I have a special tupperware for those. I always check for opening hours of archives. You never know what changes there might have been since the last visit. Another important thing? Comfortable shoes 😃

What’s your biggest piece of advice to genealogists in terms of organizing their research?

Don’t expect perfection. There is none. Find a simple system that works for you and don’t change it too often. Just because someone tells you of something different that works for him/her that doesn’t mean you have to change your way of organizing. If it’s not broken – don’t fix it. Leave enough flexibility for your family tree to grow. My first mistake was to make it too specific with colour coding and filing. It became way too complicated as my family tree grew.

Do you have a dedicated space in your home for doing genealogy research? What’s it like?

Not anymore. I just moved houses three weeks ago. I still have to find my spot in my new apartment which is a bit smaller than the one I previously had. But that is good in a way. It forces me to sort out everything which I don’t  need and to digitize even more. I have to downsize my storage and filing.

Thank you so much, Barbara, for your wise words. Your caution about not chasing perfection in a genealogy organizing system particularly resonated with me. It’s nice to see that genealogy research and organizing seems universal no matter where in the world you are!