|
|
 |
Feb
05
2007
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Monday, 05 February 2007 |
|
To achieve the goal of having an organized Genealogy notebook, buy the right sized note book. I typically buy a 3 ring binder with one inch rings that has a zipper enclosure that goes completely around the edge of the notebook. This tends to be the best thing for me because I end up putting loose papers in my notebook and this decreases the chances of them falling out! Others that I've talked to have agreed!
I also buy a supply of Sheet Protectors to put my papers in. I learned from sad experience that after many turns of papers, they tend to rip and get into bad shape. Paper Protectors prevent this from happening and keep your papers, photos, certificates, etc. in great shape. Please make sure that you buy the type of Sheet Protectors that are ACID FREE and can be used with photos and archival items. They are pretty easy to find at office supply stores and even at Sam's Club.
I then break my notebook down into categories by using Tabbed Dividers. A tab for every Surname in your family is a great idea. I have been able to keep pretty organized this way. Dividing by types of records is good as well. It just depends on what's comfortable for you.
Keeping a "small sized" supply of basic office supplies with me helps a lot. Post-it notes, pens, pencils, COATED paper clips, acid free tape, (no staples pls. they will discolor/damage papers over time!) and scissors are great to carry with you. Usually, the zipper type notebooks have plenty of room in them for you to keep these items within a 3 ring zippered Pencil Pouch. Believe me, it's a life saver to have these items on hand!
After you get a good start with your genealogy, you might find that you out grow your one notebook. I have had friends that have had one notebook for each Surname in their family. Then they categorize by types of records and forms. It's amazing how quickly your paper trail will grow as you do your genealogy.
Supplies:
- 3 Ring Notebook with one inch rings that has a zipper enclosure
- Sheet Protectors (Acid Free/Archival Safe)
- Tabbed Dividers
- Pencil Pouch
- Various Small Sized Office Supplies
I hope that this helps you and good luck!
|
|
Jan
24
2007
|
2007 Genealogy Notebook Goal |
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Wednesday, 24 January 2007 |
|
This is a new year and I'm trying to get my act together with my writting. I've been sick and it's been very hectic with the holidays, my son's birthday and other craziness.
It's time to make new goals for genealogy for 2007. One of my new, small goals is to get my paperwork organized so that I can take it with me, EASILY, when I go to the library and such. It's important to make small goals so that we're not so overwhelmed that we fail. We all want our 10 generation or more chart done but it takes time and a lot of small goals!
I have to say that even though this is a small goal, it's a challenging- but do-able goal.
I'm setting out to update my PAF (Personal Ancestral File) program and print off my Family Group Sheets to keep in my notebook. That seems to be a big help for me. Then I'm going to clean out old info. that I've updated and replace it with the new sheets.
If I can get that small project done, I'll feel like I'm well on my way!
I hope that you're making small goals so that you can achieve your Big Genealogy Goals too. Let's make this a productive year with lots of success!
I'll write more soon!
|
|
Nov
29
2006
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 |
|
O.k. this has been a crazy month and we've had family illnesses and the holidays so I'm a little behind. Back to my Cemetery Trips! Once you are at the cemetery and have cleaned, clipped around and pulled grass/weeds from the headstone of your ancestor it's time to get the information that you're looking for. Taking pictures of a headstone are easy to do but here are some tips for you. For headstones that are worn, it might be better to take the picture when it's wet or in the process of drying. Sometimes the inscription takes longer to dry. That often makes it's easier to make out what it says in the photo. Depending on what the headstone is made of, it may also darken the entire stone which will make a better contrast picture. Also, it's helpful to take a close up picture of the headstone and then to stand 6 to 10 feet away and take a shot of the area. That way, if you go back in the future or other relatives go, you can give them an idea of where it is by the other headstones around it or trees and landscaping. Just keep in mind that if you go by the landscaping of the area, it might change with weather and age. It's better to use a building in the background or other headstones that will be there permanently. Even headstones that are difficult, to near impossible, to read can be made legible by a headstone rubbing. Before you start, make sure that the cemetery allows you to do rubbings of headstones. In some towns, there are laws prohibiting it. After finding all of that out, headstone rubbings can also be a great way to get your children or grandchildren involved! It's fun for us adults to do too. Make sure that the headstone is clean and dry. You may want to use a practice paper first to get the hang of it. Then, take a large piece of paper (butcher paper is great!) and put it on the surface that you want to rub. If the stone is vertical you might want to use some tape or have someone help you hold the paper while you rub. Crayon (kiddies-fat crayons are great!), conte crayon, pencil, pastels, oil pastels, or Chalk can be used to do the rubbing. Then, take the long side of the crayon (you will need to take the paper wrapper off of it) or other rubbing material and very lightly rub onto the paper over the headstone. Depending on the paper and the headstone you can vary the pressure of the rubbing but be sure not to rip the paper or color on the headstone. You'll see that after patience and a little time you'll have a very neat headstone rubbing. You might even want to spray a fixative to the rubbing so that it won't smudge while traveling. These usually come in spray cans or some people use aerosol hair spray. When you are done, some people have even frame them if they come out looking great. This could be a piece of art that you hang in your home of an ancestor that you're touched by.
Well, that's about it for Cemetery Trips. I hope that this has helped you! Talk to you soon!
|
|
Nov
07
2006
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Tuesday, 07 November 2006 |
|
Safety is always very important when you are spending time outdoors. It's important to dress appropriately when you go into the outdoors at cemeteries. This depends on the on the weather of coarse.
Comfortable shoes, a sun hat, sun screen, and sun glasses are important if it's sunny outside. Insect repellant and long pants/jeans may be necessary depending on where you are going as well. All that I can recommend is that you be prepared for anything that might happen.
Also, please be respectful and careful of where you walk. Older cemeteries may have holes in the ground where you are walking. Unfortunately, those cemeteries that are not as well cared for may have had a burial site that has fallen in somewhat. Wooden caskets do deteriorate over time and then the ground will fall in on it. This happens spontaneously, sometimes even if you walk on top of a weak area. It's very important that you walk between the headstones and between where the bodies are laid so that you avoid getting hurt.
Also, I have taken my children with me to cemeteries but I keep them very close to me. Before leaving the car we always have a talk about safety and that the cemetery is not a play area. Sadly, I read a story about a small child that was injured by a large headstone that fell over. Sometimes with age the headstones are not stable anymore because of the ware to the soil around it. A cemetery is a great place to teach your children about the importance of their ancestors and the links to their lives today. Just please keep them within reach and make sure that they are safe.
I'll write more soon!
|
|
Nov
06
2006
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Monday, 06 November 2006 |
|
O.K., now that you have found out which cemetery to go to, there are some items that you will want to bring with you. Depending on the age, ownership and location of the cemetery will dictate what condition the cemetery is maintained in. As time moves ownerships change and the extent of maintenance on older cemeteries can be less than acceptable. Because of this, I highly recommend that you bring these items with you.
- Grass Clippers to clip away grass and weeds from around the headstone(s).
- Rake and/or broom to rake and/or sweep off the area of the headstone.
- Scrub brush in case the headstone is especially soiled, mildewed or molding.
- Ammonia spray or water to wash the stone. It's often easier to read a stone when it's wet especially if there is wear to it.
- Paper towels or old towels to wipe off the headstone.
- Large Paper, butcher paper if you have access to it, to do headstone rubbings with either chalk or crayon.
- Black or Dark Brown chalk or crayon for the headstone rubbings.
After you get to the location of your relatives headstone, you might be surprised at the condition of the area. Some cemeteries take a lot of care in how they maintain their property. Unfortunately, over time, some cemeteries end up being neglected because of changes in ownership.
When it comes to cemeteries in prodominently black areas and/or where there was slavery it can be very sad. People don't often realize that there is a cemetery there because they were not maintained by a church or a company. Often black people and slaves had wooden crosses, wooden/cement headstones or used plants/bushes to mark their relatives grave. Unfortunately, they deterioriate or the plants/bushes die over time.
So, the extent as to the maintenance of the cemetery that your loved one is buried in will sometimes vary. I hope that these suggestions help you on your next trip!
|
|
Nov
01
2006
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Wednesday, 01 November 2006 |
|
Cemeteries are a very useful tool for locating deceased relatives. Especially, if there is a town that your family settled in. There are a lot of useful tips for visiting cemeteries. I'm going to try to hit on different parts of cemetery searching this week.
One of the best ways to start is to go to the local libary of the town or order a microfilm from that town of the obituaries in the town. Most of the Main Branch Libraries in towns will have an archive of microfilms of the local newspaper in the area. Then you can access your families obituaries. Usually they will have them indexed by last name.
Within the obituaries that you find, there is often a notation of where the deceased is buried. This will be your main clue. Also, if one of your relatives is buried in a cemetery, then chances are that other relatives are buried in that same cemetery. They may not be buried in the same location within the cemetery but you should at least seach it out.
Obituaries can give you a lot of information if they are written well. Unfortunately, some obituaries are not very detailed. For those that are detailed, they can be a great source of information!
That's the first step in finding where your ancestors are buried. I'll cover more tips for searching in cemeteries for deceased relatives soon!
|
|
Oct
27
2006
|
LDS AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESOURCE |
|
Written by Kelly Whitelock
|
|
Friday, 27 October 2006 |
|
This is some great news that we found today! It's great! This is awesome information for African American Genealogy research.
26 October 2006
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today launched a new Web page on www.familysearch.org that will make doing African American genealogy research easier.
The announcement came during the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society’s (AAHGS) 28th annual conference, which is being held in Salt Lake City.
The African American Resources page on FamilySearch.org will provide links to valuable African American genealogical sources.
The new Web page will also have digital downloads of keynote speakers and certain classes from this year’s AAHGS conference.
In 2001, the Church released the Freedman’s Bank Records — documents that contained information regarding several generations of African Americans immediately following the U.S. Civil War on CD and are searchable online. The CD contains indexes which make the documents searchable.
|
|
| | << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next > End >>
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
