Subject: [OHLORAIN-L] Genealogy research tips Resent-Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 20:43:53 -0700 (PDT) Resent-From: OHLORAIN-L@rootsweb.com Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 11:02:43 -0500 From: Ellen Bisson To: OHLORAIN-L@rootsweb.com One of the posters to a North Carolina mailing list offered such excellent suggestions to help in our searching that I asked for her permission to share them with my other subscription lists. Becky Sullins (beulah@airnet.net) graciously agreed. I would only add two of my own: 1) Backup your bookmarks and Email addresses regularly to a disk; and 2) keep a file with printouts of your mailing list subscriptions. Please accept my apologies if you receive duplicate copies of this msg. Becky's advice follows: IDEA#1. I keep two composition notebooks. The smaller ones with the black and white cardboard covers. One for my husband's line and one for mine. Each page contains an outline of one surname. I keep this by my computer so that I can look up information quickly without having to dig in my files. I arrange names alphabetically and when I obtain a new surname I add it to the end. About once a year I copy it to another book, arranging the new names in their alphabetical place. I allow about three lines for each individual. One page holds about 12 generations front and back. IDEA #2 A mini-recorder is wonderful to carry to courthouses, libraries and cemeteries. One hour with a mini-recorder equals about 10 hours of writing. I have dictated all of the households of one surname from the Alabama Federal Census (not index) in one afternoon, (about 200 families) I have also dictated a whole large cemetery in a few hours. I bring the tape home and type it out on the computer in the comfort of my home. While dictating you should speak clearly and not to fast, (speaking slowly isn't necessary). Spell out any names that are questionable and make distinction in how a name is spelled (i.e. Katherine vs Catherine). This works especially well in cemeteries as you can note where a grave is located in the cemetery or what section of the cemetery you are working on, as well as notes about headstones. IDEA #3 Ever thought about taking all those old photographs of your ancestors, framing them and making a family tree of pictures on your wall? Or have a carpenter cut out the form of a tree from painted plywood. Order name tags for ancestors from a trophy company. Mount the tree to your wall and place the name tags in correct descending order along the tree. IDEA #4 Keep two computer files. One for information you have proven with facts and data and one that contains information other researchers have given you. IDEA #5 a two drawer filing cabinet works great for storing files. I use the paper folders with pockets on the inside covers. These fit perfectly inside the drawer, and the pockets hold new information until I can sort it out and put it in the folder. I label each folder both on the front and the side and arrange them alphabetically. If your files are too large for this method, you can use a bookshelf that has shelves tall enough for the files. IDEA # 6- I ordered mailing labels with my name and address and phone number on them. I stick one to the front of each family folder. That way if I ever forget and leave it in a courthouse or library it can be returned to me and won't wind up in that bin where they put lost family files. IDEA # 7 I keep a wire basket beside my computer. After I print genealogy information out I place it in this basket until I have time to sort it and put it in the family files. This has saved a lot of lost information. Becky closed with this thought: Do you have any Genealogy ideas that may help others? Maybe a way to sort out all those papers? Don't keep them a secret.... share! Regards, Ellen ==== OHLORAIN Mailing List ==== Visit CCHelper Central - Search for a Surname http://www.rufus.wright.edu/~plindsay/srchall.html