Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Resolutions Genealogical

2013 was a great and productive year in many ways, but not for my genealogical research or for this blog - the demands of keeping up with a pair of toddler boys proved too great to allow much in the way of time or energy in that regard.  I intend to do better in 2014, although admittedly, that wouldn't be difficult, as I only completed one post in 2013.  That said, here are my genealogical resolutions for 2014.

Resolution the first - I resolve to produce a new blog post about every two weeks, roughly two a month.  This resolution shall be aided by one of my Christmas presents - a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad, allowing me to write more efficiently with the pad, as I do not have to resort to the touch screen keyboard.

Resolution the second - I purchased Legacy Family Tree 8 back in early December.  I am going to move my tree into Legacy 8 and source everything according to Evidence Explained.   My sources in my current database are a mess and need to be redone.

Resolution the third - I am going to use either Clooz or Evidentia (or both) to analyze my sources more fully.  I'm trying to take my genealogy to the next level, and I think these tools can help.

Resolution the fourth - I am finally going to get my genealogy workspace set up and organized.  Right now my files are boxed up in shambles, and I have boxes of loose papers to get filed.  Its a big mess that needs fixing.

Resolution the fifth -  I am going to photograph and transcribe the three or four small cemeteries that are within a few miles of my house.  I believe that the local branch of the OGS has done transcriptions, but I am unaware of any photos of these cemeteries.  Where I post the data is still to be determined.

There's more I could tackle (and might), like a McNally one-name study, but the five resolutions I have made should keep me plenty busy in the new year.

Good hunting, and happy new year.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Current doings

The boys have been keeping me busy, not leaving much time for actual genealogical research or posting new stories to the blog. This doesn't mean I've been sitting idle, watching the world go by and twiddling my thumbs. I steal a few minutes here and there to do some looking on Ancestry, and I've started to dig into the 1940 census records. I've found most of my living ancestors, but there are a few holdouts hiding in the paper trail, waiting to be discovered. I've also been preparing for a trip to the Ohio Historical Society Archives, after making some discoveries on FamilySearch.

I've also been doing a lot of thinking about how I want to move the blog forward, to keep telling stories and to keep connecting with far-flung relatives, and I think that the way to best do that given my time constraints is to hold true to the blog title, and start telling stories in the form of a pedigree chart in story form. Using standard pedigree chart numbering, my sons are numbers 1a and 1b, I am number 2, my wife, 3, and so on. Of course, with living people on the tree, those entries will be highly abbreviated to protect their privacy.

The first few entries will be short, so here they go.

1A & 1B. My sons. Although I have countless stories of their antics, some of which are entertaining, the simple truth is that their stories are yet to be told, and while I hope to be a significant part of those stories, they will not be mine to tell.

2 & 3. Myself and my wife (living Bone ) Hopefully, our stories are also largely to be discovered, and maybe one or both of my sons will tell them.

4 & 5.  My father (living McNally) and my mother (living Farley). They're both still alive so in order to protect their privacy, no further information shall be provided.

6 & 7. My wife's father (living Bone) and mother (living Kinder). Same thing applies here.

That gives you a brief outline of the tree so far. While there are still a few more living ancestors to be glossed over, the stories begin in ernest on the next post with number 8 on the tree, my paternal grandfather, Gerald Richard McNally.