Genealogy Binder: Update

Back in March, I posted about my new Genealogy Binder. It’s been a lot of fun deciding what to put in the binder and what needed a form to keep track of the information. I’m still going to get some dividers to separate sections of the binder into what I feel I need: Website Lists, Research Tools, Records Information, and Printed Reports. I haven’t fully decided the sections yet, but those are the four I’m thinking about currently.

I receive a lot of emails because of this website. Most of the time I put together a response, but I always let people know that I’ll keep in contact if anything comes up. I’m not as good about this as I should be because once something gets sorted in the “Genealogy” section of my email, I forget it until something makes me remember it. It’s not the most flattering thing for me to say, but it is the truth. I also have to admit that I’m weeks behind in sending out responses to emails currently. Yikes. This list will help though. It has three sections: Name, Common Ancestor, Email. I handwrite all the information and when I get a full page, I type up the information and print out the page. I wait until I have a full page because I’m pretty snobby about having things look non uniform. It’s one of those weird things I’m afflicted with. It must all match! Now when I find something new within a certain section of my family tree, I can email everyone who is listed under the “common ancestor”.

The Repository List is a BIG help. I hate having to track down websites and then hunt within websites to find an address to send a records request. So I’m gathering the ones I know I will use and I put them in the Repository List. This one gets typed up because of the length of the addresses. Even with my favorite fine line pen, I have problems fitting some of those addresses into a reasonable amount of space.

The supplies list I keep in the genealogy binder because it is always on top of my desk. That means it’s handy for me when I find out I need something. I’m currently only needing tabbed dividers (for the genealogy binder), 3 ring binders (I’m making a kitchen binder and a household binder for Mom), and a color ink cartridge (reason should be obvious, ha!).

I’ve learned over the last few years that I easily get behind in records I want to send away for. So I’ve started making a list of the ones I’m hankering to get. I added a price section so that when I get some extra money, I can see right away whether I have any cheaper or more expensive records on my to do list. I haven’t added prices to my New Jersey records yet, because I’m still determining where the records I need are being held.

Another thing I’ve learned in the last few years, is that sometimes records can take a long time to come. So you either forget about them or it seems like it takes longer then it actually does. Well, I wonder no more because this list tells me exactly what was ordered and when. So I know I received my Grandmother’s birth certificate (and in record time) and I’m still waiting for William H Moore’s death certificate (if they find it this time).

This is the most recent addition to my binder. I’ve started to make cemetery lists. We’re hoping to make a genealogy trip this summer (last summers got postponed), so I want to have this information handy if we make it to these places. The last time I wasn’t at all prepared and I’m certainly not dragging my laptop with me. I can just print reports straight from Family Tree Maker, but I like this because I can keep families grouped together. I know from the last time I went to Kentucky that most of the cemetery lots are family lots. For that reason, I want to keep my lists organized by families as opposed to alphabetical.

Lastly, I have an updated blog ideas list. Most times my ideas need to be written so that I can remember exactly what I wanted when the idea came to me. For example: “A Tale of Many Sisters: Finding Emma Carter’s Mother”. I know exactly what that post is going to be. On the other hand, I don’t remember exactly what I was thinking when I wrote: “I’m a handwriting snob”. Except for the fact that I’ve always been obsessed with good penmanship. So that idea will probably be scrapped.