Travel Tuesday

As Dorothy Gale once proclaimed, "There's no place like home."

That statement is especially true when it comes to researching my family tree. It is not necessary to venture far from my childhood home to find an abundance of research material for both my maternal and paternal lines as my ancestors didn't venture far from home. They stayed put for generations. With the exception, of course, of my immigrant ancestors who bravely crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

My British and German immigrants arrived in New York, made their way west and settled in a small rural area northwest of Chicago and just south of O'Hare International Airport. At the time of their arrival O'Hare was a vast prairie.

The Des Plaines History Center has been my "Go To" repository for ancestors dating back from the 1850s to present time. I only need to travel about twenty minutes to research a repository filled with information about MY family. I have been blessed with the convenience. I can't speak out enough of the importance of historical societies and centers to family research.

That doesn't mean I haven't traveled distances for research for I have. In fact, I am itching to hit the road and research other repositories and history museums. Until that time arrives, I am one lucky researcher to have such quality resources so close to home.

Happy researching....

Linda

Sunday's Obituary

Here are three obituaries for one person, Richard William Dollen. The most obvious inconsistency is in the spelling of his last name. These obits remind me to always search surnames with spelling variations or wild cards. 

These three obits have also humbled me. I considered myself a fairly decent researcher, until they taught me a BIG lesson. 

I had been wondering where Richard attended grammar and high school and had spent a great deal of time and effort into researching schools in his Chicago neighborhood. You can only imagine my shock when I finally got around to looking at his obituaries that were neatly stored in my binders. 

Finding information about his grammar school and high school in his obituary took me by surprise. His mother must have wanted to alert fellow classmates of this death. 

I ate humble pie that day! 

Linda

Laying the Organizational Groundwork

There are times when I open up ancestry.com just to see what is going one. It is a curious mind type of look: Nothing serious just poking around research fun.

Then there are days that I research with something specific in mind. I ask a question and try to find the answer. That is productive research as it keeps me focused.

Focus is what keeps me on task. I must admit, once again, that I am a sucker for the Bright Shiny Objects. It is the goal that holds my focus. I try to  ignore the BSOs,

Thomas MacEntee offered up a spreadsheet to record those BSOs that need exploring at a later date. I chose not to reinvent the wheel and will use his spreadsheet as an organizational aide. I presently record the BSOs on tiny pieces of paper or on the back of the nearest envelope. They get put into a pile. The pile keeps on growing as does my disorganization.

Now where did I put that piece of paper?

Have a Happy Day!

Linda

January 2016 Go-Over Organizational Plans

I have decided to participate in the Go-Over rather than the Do-Over as I would like to develop a solid plan for organizing my data.

Just three days ago, I proclaimed that I was a fairly good researcher and that I needed help with tracking research and source citation. True. Still true. However, I also stated that I was certain other faults were waiting to be discovered and discovered they were. The Do-Over Workbook has been helpful in my journey of self discovery.

As of 4 January 2016 this is what I must do to become better organized…

      Find a quiet place to work and dedicate a segment of the day solely to genealogy. This time will be morning to mid-day. I PROMISE NOT TO RESEARCH IN THE HOURS BETWEEN 10 P.M. AND MIDNIGHT.    

      I will organize myself prior to researching by setting a research goal and planning my research. I will create research logs and to do lists. I will organize my computer files.

     “Bright Shiny Objects” will not distract me. Those BSOs are deadly! For eight years I have been diagnosing myself with Attention Deficit Disorder. The longer I have been at genealogy the more difficult it has been for me to stay on task. I have switched from one ancestor to the next. One tree to the next. I blamed it on ADD and have come to realize that I have been afflicted with The Bright Shiny Object Syndrome. 

Better get to work.

Linda