Author: Kathleen

Genealogy Goals for 2012

Posted on by Kathleen

Now that I’ve owned up to how I went wrong last year, it’s time to set some new goals for the upcoming year!

Genealogy File Goals

  1. I want to finally finish getting everyone added into my new, cleaner family file. I’m so close now I can see the finish line!
  2. Get everything in the ‘To Be Sorted’ folder, sorted into place or added into a ‘Maybe’ folder for those that no longer fit into my family file due to the cleaner nature.
  3. Put together a To Do List for the people in my family file. RootsMagic has a great new Research Log feature I want to utilize and I also want to use the To Do List features in both RootsMagic and FTM2012.

Record Ordering Goals

  1. How many records I order depends on how well I budget through the year, so I won’t set a specific number. Really as long as I make forward progress in my research, the number isn’t important. So I will just say I want to make a list of records I’d like to order and where I need to order them from. There’s a great place for this in the new RootsMagic update.

Website Goals

  1. Finish the new website design. I have to finish the new website design. I have no problem with the current design but I would like a little more color on my blog. So I’m going to finally sit down and finish the design… or start it again would be more accurate.
  2. Make sure the sources on the website are more accurate.

Blogging Goals

  1. I’ve been very good about getting my Diary of Llewellyn posts done but I need to fit regular blogging into my new schedule. So I want to at least have 3 non-Diary blogs a week. Maybe two blogs during the week and one on the weekends when I have a little more time.

Diary of Llewellyn: December 25, 1923

Posted on by Kathleen

Xmas. Grandma & Grandpa up for Xmas. They went to Aunt Em’s 35th anniversary party about 7 o’clock and we went to Suffern. Ran out of gas about five miles this side of Suffern. Got some from a chauffeur nearby. Got 32 gifts. From folks – silk petticoat, 2 nightgowns, bedroom slippers, 2 pr pet?, 2 pr stockings with robe. from George – $10. Gold piece from Pa.

Next Entry: December 26, 1923

How I did with my Yearly Goals

Posted on by Kathleen

It’s now time to face my music. I didn’t get as far on my yearly goals as I would have liked. My life turned a little upside down this year and threw me off balance. That’s alright though, I’m learning how life throws you a few punches every once and awhile and I’m definitely back on my feet again… I think!

Personal Genealogy Files Goals

  • I want to finally finish re-organizing my ‘To Be Sorted’ folders on my second hard drive. Right now I have a folder of Mays photos, a folder of Moore photos, a folder of scanned photos and a folder of tombstones to be sorted into my 2010 filing system. (Hopefully it’s my final filing system!)

Well, sorry to say I still have things in my To Be Sorted folders. The good news is most of it is for the side of the family I haven’t finished verifying yet. I don’t have ID numbers created for them yet, so they aren’t going into sorted folders yet. I do get bursts of energy to sort through these files every once and awhile but I need to make more of an effort to double check them as I go.

  • I want to have the whole Mays side of my family entered into my website and both FTM and RootsMagic. This is a big feat, since I’m behind on my RootsMagic work and there are a lot of Mays family members.

I am nowhere near finished with the Mays side of my family.  I’m getting there though. There were a lot of 10-15 children families to hash out, so it’s coming along, albeit slowly.

Online Genealogy Goals

  • Order at least 4 microfilm from the Family History Center. I’m hoping for one a quarter. I keep talking myself out of it because I want to get the most bang for my buck, so to speak. Enough of that! Time to get on with it!

I haven’t ordered any, this will still be a goal in the new year! It’s just been so hard to get out this year and get much done, but hopefully next year will be better.

Record Ordering Goals

  • I want to obtain the marriage certificate for William and Llewellyn. (I have notations of the date in Llewellyn’s records and a newspaper announcement, but I would like a copy of the actual certificate)
  • I would like to find the death certificate of Robert J Moore. (Brooklyn has no record of his death in 1925, so my next search would be Caldwell, NJ)
  • I have a copy of Llewellyn‘s birth certificate but it might be in New York at my Aunt Diane’s house. I’ll have to ask Uncle Chris about it in July.
  • Order death certificates for Lewis and Jennie Thorward.

I was short on genealogy funds this year and was only able to order the marriage record for George Yohn/Thorward and Josephine Doremus and the death record for John Menzies from the New Jersey and New York State Archives.

General Goals

  • BE MORE ORGANIZED! I ordered a copy of Elyse Doerflinger‘s Conquering the Paper Monster ebook and I plan to put it to use in the new year! With all that’s been going on in the last few months, I just haven’t had the time to touch my archives. I’m usually very good about starting and finishing big projects, it’s just I need a guideline sometimes.

I am MUCH more organized, I actually went through and organized all of my papers. I even wrote about it in a few posts: here. The only job left is scanning in my photos and organizing them but I plan to accomplish that slowly.

Website Goals

  • Don’t break the site! I’ve had a horrible habit of breaking the genealogy software on my website. Usually because I mess around with it too much. I think I’ve learned enough through trial and horrible errors to successfully keep this goal!

The website isn’t broken! I’ve been working on a new design for over a year, but haven’t had a lot of time to devote to it, so I credit that with the great luck. The new design will hopefully get done this year for sure. With easier to read text and better organization of the site!

Hopefully, I can think of some challenging, attainable goals for the next year!