Goals for 2013

 

 

 

 

Here I sit again contemplating the year ahead. One thing I have learned about myself, the more goals I set the more I seem to procrastinate getting projects checked off. So I have been thinking about a new plan of action. Instead of coming up with several goals again this year I have decided on only 3 main goals.

 

 

1. Genealogy Database Clean-up- I used my Family Tree Maker program to print a birthday calendar of the ancestors in my database. Each day for that ancestor I will:

*Search for missing citations

*Be sure that all facts have sources

*Investigate what I have and search for new information 

*Research online databases and see what new resources are available

*Compare FTM with my Ancestry Tree online and see where the little green leaves lead me. I like to investigate the sources and see if they fit.

 

If all goes well by this time next year I will have gone thru almost everyone in my genealogy database. I am also hoping this will help me to improve my research skills and add sources to my research toolbox.

 

2. Keep a family history journal for my family- I have often wondered what everyday life was like for the ancestors I spend so much time researching. So for my kids, future grand kids and future great grand kids I want to journal our personal history to preserve it for the future genealogist in our family. I went to Ancestry.com and About.com  and printed a list of interview questions that I will use as writing prompts.

 

To give myself an added treat, I splurged a little and bought a pretty red and yellow flowered Vera Bradley hardcover journal just to make it more special.

 

3. Get all those photos organized- Since word has gotten thru the family that I have become the self appointed genealogist I have had several family members give me their old photos. I need to get these scanned, copied, labeled and returned to the rightful owner. Many of these I have had for almost 3 years, so I really have to get this goal finished.

 

I have a smaller project that will tie goals 2 and 3 together. I want to take pictures of the few family antiques I have and write what I know about each one. I plan to include the photos and stories into our family history journal, and if possible I want to somehow attach the story to the antique piece.