I've jumped into the deep end of a pool and don't know how to swim. Luckily, Lorrie is there to help and steer me to the shallow end. It is much more to my level of skill. We discovered four large boxes of slides that Mom would like to have scanned. Now wouldn't your first thought be shoe boxes? That's what I thought they would be, but NO. They are large boxes that have many shoe boxes inside of them. We looked inside one large box and the smaller boxes inside it had carousels inside them. And they weren't even full of slides. Now the project looks more manageable. But still...it is going to be a job. Lorrie took them all and is going to do them as a Mother's Day gift to Mom this year. All I can say is....Not Fair! What am I going to do now?
As it is, Lorrie and I decided that we just have too much to do to really get into the swing of doing genealogy work. It isn't that our momentum is gone....well, maybe it is. We have agreed that we need more of a plan and last night came to the conclusion that we would narrow our focus. First we need to archive what we already have. That could take us a year to do. And I don't know if I could get all of Debbie's material copied in that amount of time. She has so much. AND, I really need to get comfortable with technology more and be more informed about research.
OH, and guess what I did today. I (yes, me), all by myself, figured out how to move files into a new folder I created. I took a guess how to do it, figuring Anna could fix it if I was wrong, and it worked. My next plan is to inventory everything I have on my drives and cross-check them with Lorrie later to make sure we each have everything from each other. Did that make sense? Then we need to make sure we have a log of what we get done for other family members so we aren't making so many duplicates of everything.
I also want to become more knowledgeable about taking and downloading pictures. I want a smart phone so I can take pictures and share and log information and access other things that are hard for me to even imagine right now. How do I make my brain sharper so I can comprehend better? Is it just a matter of practice? My brain already hurts just to think about it. My brain needs some chocolate. :)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Eager to Start
Monday - I was still feeling the excitement from the conference and was eager to get supplies to get organized. Lorrie and I went to Office Max because they had a coupon for 20% off the entire purchase. We got a lot of supplies and when I got home and organized them, I discovered I need to get more colored folders. I know I'll need to add to my supplies as I gather more information, but for now I have what I need to start. At least I think I do. It's kind of like that feeling you get when you pack for a long trip. You've made your list and packed everything on it and away you go. You know you have what you need to start but feel like you will have to get what you forgot to put on your list or need to get something you didn't realize you would need or want.
I called Debbie and we made plans to go to her place on Tuesday. Debbie had back surgery a few months back and is home most of the time right now. She sounded excited to see us. I love Debbie and also looked forward to seeing her.
I had some files of scans Jari did last June They were saved in an email I sent to myself and I had to copy them to the hard drive and then on to the flash drive. It took over an hour to do that. Anna helped me when it got too tedious for me. She likes doing that kind of thing. But I was really tired. At 4:30 this morning I awoke with Hobart going over and over in my head. It was a short night.
Tuesday -Early this morning as I was deep asleep, I heard someone say, "Diane". I didn't respond and soon I heard, "Mom" in a louder whisper. I thought it was Anna and looked outside my bedroom for her thinking she was in need of something. There was no one there. I looked at the clock and it was 4:30. It must be a bewitching hour for me. Another short night.
Mom, Lorrie, and I went to Kaysville to visit Debbie. It was a delightful visit. She has drawers full of research she has done. Lorrie copied over some digitalized files from Debbie. She got a lot copied and has made copies for me. Debbie allowed me to take what she has on the Bivins line. I've got a box with files stuffed with information, as well as a file box her daughter set up when she was in school. It is an overwhelming amount of information to me and only a very small fraction of alll that she has done over the years. She is a gold mine. All this information is the "gas" for me to get going on my journey. I wanted to start when I got home but was too tired to comprehend anything. I needed sleep.
Wednesday - Peaceful night. Hooray! Lorrie and I went downtown Salt Lake to the Family History Center. There were two experts that tried to help me find some information on James Hobart. The last that is known of him is that he went away to war and never came back. It was 1812 and there is no record of him joining with any militia in his county (which is they way it was done back then) and there is no record of his death. His life is a mystery at this point. Mom wanted me to find out what happened to him. But all his temple work is done, so we can move on to other lines and try again in ten years to see if anything new has surfaced.
Thursday - Anna, Mom, Lorrie, and I went to the Riverton Family Search Center today. It is much closer to South Jordan. We were there for several hours and the only thing I discovered is that I'm not very good at sleuthing. Actually, that isn't a discovery. I need to learn how and where to research. It would make a world of difference. And I'm discovering that this could be a costly endeavor.
Friday - Anna and I went back to the Riverton Family Search Center today. She helped me do some scanning. We got three booklets done that Mom has on her Freer line. We also started scanning some of the Bivins files. Scanning doesn't cost anything but it will be super expensive when we want to convert the files to hard copies. And truth is, I am feeling a little burned out. Maybe it is due to the little amount of sleep I've been getting. It is better to pace myself but I really could do this all day once I get started. I feel so much out of my league. I feel like someone who has just received their driver's license and is driving in the Indy 500. I want to find something worthwhile!!!! Okay. I'm better now. I know that slow and steady wins the race. It really isn't a race, but it is good to keep in mind the sound advice of pacing.
I called Debbie and we made plans to go to her place on Tuesday. Debbie had back surgery a few months back and is home most of the time right now. She sounded excited to see us. I love Debbie and also looked forward to seeing her.
I had some files of scans Jari did last June They were saved in an email I sent to myself and I had to copy them to the hard drive and then on to the flash drive. It took over an hour to do that. Anna helped me when it got too tedious for me. She likes doing that kind of thing. But I was really tired. At 4:30 this morning I awoke with Hobart going over and over in my head. It was a short night.
Tuesday -Early this morning as I was deep asleep, I heard someone say, "Diane". I didn't respond and soon I heard, "Mom" in a louder whisper. I thought it was Anna and looked outside my bedroom for her thinking she was in need of something. There was no one there. I looked at the clock and it was 4:30. It must be a bewitching hour for me. Another short night.
Mom, Lorrie, and I went to Kaysville to visit Debbie. It was a delightful visit. She has drawers full of research she has done. Lorrie copied over some digitalized files from Debbie. She got a lot copied and has made copies for me. Debbie allowed me to take what she has on the Bivins line. I've got a box with files stuffed with information, as well as a file box her daughter set up when she was in school. It is an overwhelming amount of information to me and only a very small fraction of alll that she has done over the years. She is a gold mine. All this information is the "gas" for me to get going on my journey. I wanted to start when I got home but was too tired to comprehend anything. I needed sleep.
Wednesday - Peaceful night. Hooray! Lorrie and I went downtown Salt Lake to the Family History Center. There were two experts that tried to help me find some information on James Hobart. The last that is known of him is that he went away to war and never came back. It was 1812 and there is no record of him joining with any militia in his county (which is they way it was done back then) and there is no record of his death. His life is a mystery at this point. Mom wanted me to find out what happened to him. But all his temple work is done, so we can move on to other lines and try again in ten years to see if anything new has surfaced.
Thursday - Anna, Mom, Lorrie, and I went to the Riverton Family Search Center today. It is much closer to South Jordan. We were there for several hours and the only thing I discovered is that I'm not very good at sleuthing. Actually, that isn't a discovery. I need to learn how and where to research. It would make a world of difference. And I'm discovering that this could be a costly endeavor.
Friday - Anna and I went back to the Riverton Family Search Center today. She helped me do some scanning. We got three booklets done that Mom has on her Freer line. We also started scanning some of the Bivins files. Scanning doesn't cost anything but it will be super expensive when we want to convert the files to hard copies. And truth is, I am feeling a little burned out. Maybe it is due to the little amount of sleep I've been getting. It is better to pace myself but I really could do this all day once I get started. I feel so much out of my league. I feel like someone who has just received their driver's license and is driving in the Indy 500. I want to find something worthwhile!!!! Okay. I'm better now. I know that slow and steady wins the race. It really isn't a race, but it is good to keep in mind the sound advice of pacing.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
First Things First
I am out of my comfort zone. It has literally taken me 40 minutes to get to this page. First, I had to come up with a title. A title?! What's with that? I don't title my journal entries. Not being creative, I immediately hit a brick wall and nearly gave up before I even started. I finally mastered through the fear and simply went with "My Journey". See.....no creativity. THEN, I couldn't find an address that wasn't already used. There must be a ton of people who blog. I admit that I keep boring journals and it takes more time to write than it does to type. I want to learn to be better acquainted with technology. Hence, my attempt to blog.
First, a little about myself. I don't like change. I fear it. But I live in a world that is changing constantly and I am getting left behind. In itself I don't mind that. I am not ambitious. My idea of fun is sitting and watching the clouds float by. Boring to this fast-paced, technology-based generation of today. But this last weekend I attended RootsTech in Salt Lake City with my sister, Lorrie. It has inspired me to actually do something.
When my dad died, we discovered lots of old pictures. Mostly they consist of ancestors. I have always been interested in ancestors but always seemed to have an excuse not to seek them. With ten children to raise, it was hard to find time to spend on doing genealogy work. It was discouraging to think of spending ten years to find one person and pay 50 dollars for one document to prove that individual to be an ancestor. But that excuse is gone now. The kids are grown and almost all gone from home now. Technology has made finding people so much easier and there are so many more people with whom to collaborate findings and share information. I have collected bits and pieces now and again of family histories and genealogy work, but have never done anything really serious. Time for change. Scary.
At RootsTech we were taught that we need to do four things: 1-Find, 2-Organize, 3-Preserve, 4-Share. There were many classes that gave ideas and tips how to accomplish this. I know that what I get done in the remainder of my lifetime won't be much, but I hope that some of my kids will catch the genealogy bug and pick up where I leave off and take things to a whole new level. My attempt is going to be finding and organizing. Along the way I will share information with family members. My idea of preserving is scanning. But there are so many creative and fun ways to preserve and share. I'll leave that to my creative children and their spouses. I have two daughters-in-law that are super creative and can do amazing things. I have already asked Miranda to scan and fix many pictures and documents. It is a blessing to me that she lives in the same area and can help me. Jessica makes me wonderful calendars with family pictures. They are great treasures and one of the tips that belong to preserving. Boys....you married well!
Now for my journey. When I travel to visit family, I have tried to make it so that I don't travel on Sundays. Many times I have to do that, but I like it better when I don't. So I will do my "traveling" during the week and leave Sunday for blogging. This week then, is the week that I decided to make my journey. One of the fun things about the journey is that I can "travel" with other family members at any time. Lorrie will be going, also. She is addicted to research and I couldn't find a better companion. Her contributions will be obvious. I'm still trying to figure what I can contribute. I love how so many can go in different directions, and by sharing, we all make the same journey. My goal this week is to get my Legacy software onto my laptop and become acquainted with it. This would be a great time to visit my cousin, Debbie Lloyd, who has done a lot of research in the past. I hope I can make a visit to her this week. I should call her today. And this week is the week to get what information Mom has so I can begin to map my journey.
Side note: One of the remarks made by one of the presenters was to ask yourself what it is that you wished your ancestors had left for you. Then ask yourself what it is that you think your descendants will have wished you left for them. Food for thought.
First, a little about myself. I don't like change. I fear it. But I live in a world that is changing constantly and I am getting left behind. In itself I don't mind that. I am not ambitious. My idea of fun is sitting and watching the clouds float by. Boring to this fast-paced, technology-based generation of today. But this last weekend I attended RootsTech in Salt Lake City with my sister, Lorrie. It has inspired me to actually do something.
When my dad died, we discovered lots of old pictures. Mostly they consist of ancestors. I have always been interested in ancestors but always seemed to have an excuse not to seek them. With ten children to raise, it was hard to find time to spend on doing genealogy work. It was discouraging to think of spending ten years to find one person and pay 50 dollars for one document to prove that individual to be an ancestor. But that excuse is gone now. The kids are grown and almost all gone from home now. Technology has made finding people so much easier and there are so many more people with whom to collaborate findings and share information. I have collected bits and pieces now and again of family histories and genealogy work, but have never done anything really serious. Time for change. Scary.
At RootsTech we were taught that we need to do four things: 1-Find, 2-Organize, 3-Preserve, 4-Share. There were many classes that gave ideas and tips how to accomplish this. I know that what I get done in the remainder of my lifetime won't be much, but I hope that some of my kids will catch the genealogy bug and pick up where I leave off and take things to a whole new level. My attempt is going to be finding and organizing. Along the way I will share information with family members. My idea of preserving is scanning. But there are so many creative and fun ways to preserve and share. I'll leave that to my creative children and their spouses. I have two daughters-in-law that are super creative and can do amazing things. I have already asked Miranda to scan and fix many pictures and documents. It is a blessing to me that she lives in the same area and can help me. Jessica makes me wonderful calendars with family pictures. They are great treasures and one of the tips that belong to preserving. Boys....you married well!
Now for my journey. When I travel to visit family, I have tried to make it so that I don't travel on Sundays. Many times I have to do that, but I like it better when I don't. So I will do my "traveling" during the week and leave Sunday for blogging. This week then, is the week that I decided to make my journey. One of the fun things about the journey is that I can "travel" with other family members at any time. Lorrie will be going, also. She is addicted to research and I couldn't find a better companion. Her contributions will be obvious. I'm still trying to figure what I can contribute. I love how so many can go in different directions, and by sharing, we all make the same journey. My goal this week is to get my Legacy software onto my laptop and become acquainted with it. This would be a great time to visit my cousin, Debbie Lloyd, who has done a lot of research in the past. I hope I can make a visit to her this week. I should call her today. And this week is the week to get what information Mom has so I can begin to map my journey.
Side note: One of the remarks made by one of the presenters was to ask yourself what it is that you wished your ancestors had left for you. Then ask yourself what it is that you think your descendants will have wished you left for them. Food for thought.
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