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THE GENCLASS NEWSLETTER - December 2007
http://www.genclass.com
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TOPICS:
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Tip of the Month: Document ALL of your sources.
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12 Steps to Genealogical Fitness
By Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
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Upcoming classes: January and February
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Happy
New Year!
Welcome
to the latest issue of the GenClass newsletter.
If
this is your first time reading this newsletter, welcome!
Our
monthly newsletter includes a featured article by an expert
GenClass instructor, a tip of the month, and a list of upcoming
courses.
We
would like to extend a “thank you” to all of our
students who
participated in our classes in 2007, and a “warm welcome”
to
those who are just joining us in 2008! We are pleased to offer
our popular classes again this year, along with some exciting
new courses! If you enjoy your Genclass experience,
please pass the word on to family and friends!
Since
January is the month for resolutions, this month’s article
is about evaluating your “genealogical fitness.”
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Tip
of the Month: This year, resolve to get into the habit of
thoroughly
documenting ALL of your sources. Whether you keep your own
typed
file or use the “Notes” section of your genealogical
software, remember
to use proper source citations. For guidance, see Elizabeth
Shown Mills books,
Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian
($16.95 US) and
Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts
to Cyberspace
($49.95 US for Hardcover, or $24.95 PDF version available
via download from www.footnote.com).
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“12
Steps to Genealogical Fitness”
by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
(A version of this article initially appeared in the Ancestry
Daily
News in February 2006, reprinted with permission).
Is
your genealogy in shape? Now you may think this is a silly
question.
When we hear the phrase "in shape" we automatically
associate it with
our physical health. So, what could these two concepts --
"fitness" and
"genealogy" -- possibly have in common?
Like
millions of others, one of my New Year's resolutions for 2007
is to
become more physically fit. Another is to become a more dedicated
and
effective genealogist.
As
I approach my physical fitness and genealogical research goals,
I
observe many similarities. First of all, just as physical
fitness is accomplished
by exercising your body, success as a genealogist often requires
exercising
your mind. Secondly, the preparation for each activity is
often parallel.
You need to warm up, stretch, sometimes hit the ground running,
feel the exhilaration of activity, and then, cool down.
Often
you start off with a bang; you have the best of intentions
that excite
you and initially spur you on. With a regular physical workout,
you lose a
few pounds and your clothes fit better. With genealogy, you
discover
a detail about an ancestor. You feel great.
Then,
it happens. You hit a brick wall. Your weight loss stalls.
You search
for further information on your ancestor, but fail to find
that one record that
will confirm your assumptions. (The courthouse did not have
the birth or
marriage record; the church your ancestor attended burned
down and
the records were lost in the fire, etc.). You begin to get
discouraged and
want to pack it in. "Is it really worth it, anyway?"
Then you make excuses --
"I don't have the time. It's too difficult," and
so on.
Both
activities require a great deal of hard work and also have
similar
obstacles. So I have identified twelve steps to use as a guideline
for
working on my personal fitness and my family's genealogy.
1)
Set Realistic Goals. When starting any new project or endeavor
like
a diet or exercise regimen, or a genealogical quest, it is
important to
set realistic goals, and develop a workable timetable. You
typically
would not try to run ten miles, or expect to lose fifty lbs.
right away.
And, whether you are a novice or a seasoned genealogist, you
typically
would not set out to research multiple family lines at once,
or plan to write
your entire family history in a month. Rather, you should
aim to set shorter,
more attainable goals. For example, with your fitness program
you could
seek to lose one-two lbs. per week, or do at least twenty
minutes of
exercise each day. With your genealogy, you might attempt
to trace
one ancestor as far back as you can before moving on to another,
or
thoroughly search one particular online database or microfilm
reel per week.
2)
Devise a Schedule and Stick to It. With our busy lives, most
of us have
to schedule time to exercise, and this same discipline should
be applied
to genealogy. Whether you use a traditional paper calendar,
an online
calendar software program, or personal digital assistant,
blocking off
time in your daily schedule for your research is often the
best way to
ensure that you will actually do it. This time may be in the
early morning
or late at night while everyone else in your house is still
asleep, or maybe
during the time the kids are at soccer practice. Also, take
into consideration
your own body's natural clock. What time of day do you feel
your best to
do your most efficient work? Perhaps you are a morning person,
or on
the other hand, a night owl. Maybe you prefer to work in the
mid-afternoon.
Follow your body clock and reserve some time during your "peak"
periods
to work on your genealogy. Some of us are "weekend genealogists,"
while
others work on our family history on a daily basis. Either
way, the important
point is to devise a schedule that suits you and make an effort
to keep
your commitment.
3)
Make Time for a Check-up. While it is important to schedule
an
annual appointment with your physician to evaluate or reassess
your
physical health, it is also a good idea to make an appointment
with
yourself to take a "research inventory." Set aside
a day or two to just
peruse over your findings to date. Then make a list of missing
information and devise a strategy or "research plan."
4)
Trim the Fat and Toss Out the Junk. When you begin a weight
management program, you often hear that you must clean out
your
cupboards, toss out junk food and replace your vices with
healthier
food choices. Apply this approach to genealogy. Do you really
need
five copies of Aunt Betty's port record? What about all those
miscellaneous slips of paper that contain notes from your
library research?
Go through your family history files and purge what you don't
need. Face it,
filing is the least interesting part of family history, but
it is an essential
component. Use binders to store printed information. File
and label
miscellaneous items that you might need "somewhere down
the road..."
Organize your work space so that you can maximize your time
researching and not pushing papers from one area of your desk
to another.
5)
Diversify Your Tasks. Engaging in the same type of exercise
day
after day can often lead to boredom and frustration. In the
same way,
genealogical tasks can also seem tedious and even at times
exasperating.
Instead, strive to make your search fun and challenging throughout
the year.
One way to do this is to use your calendar as a genealogical
research guide.
Schedule your tasks around major holidays. For example, work
on military
records research around Veteran's Day or Memorial Day, research
marriage records on Valentine's Day, and so forth. Note birthdays
of
relatives or ancestors and conduct your research about them
on those days.
6)
Count Your Steps. Fitness experts often recommend using a
pedometer to measure the number of steps you take, the distance/time
of the workout, or the number of calories. How do you measure
your
progress with your family history? If "must get organized"
is a mantra
that you mutter over and over again to yourself, you need
to find a way
to account for your steps. Try using the free, downloadable,
genealogical
forms and documents available at Ancestry.com to help organize
your
correspondence and research data. Enter your family information
into
a computerized genealogy software program.
If
possible, try to do one small task toward your research every
day,
even if you can only spare fifteen minutes. For example, in
fifteen minutes
you can perform a quick search using an online database, draft
a quick
letter to a relative, scan an old photograph, or note five
questions to ask
in your next oral history interview. When you break your research
tasks
into smaller, more manageable pieces, the process is not as
overwhelming.
See my article “"Express Genealogy: 50 Family History
Tasks You Can
Do in 15 Minutes or Less" Family Chronicle Magazine,
March/April 2006.
Read it on my Web site: <www.lisaalzo.com>.
7)
Pick Up the Pace. Sometimes you can become stagnant both in
your
exercise routine, and your genealogical research, and even
the slightest
increase in activity can help to yield additional results.
Perhaps you are
struggling with writing that letter to an overseas archive,
or hesitate
contacting the parish priest of the church your ancestors
attended.
Stop procrastinating. Follow the Nike slogan and "Just
Do It!"
Sometimes in both areas, you may have to work harder to for
a
desired result in a limited period of time.
8)
Vary Your Location. When you exercise, instead of walking
on your
treadmill, take a walk around your neighborhood. If you always
do your
research at your computer or desk, find a change of scenery.
Go to the
library or park and take your laptop with you, or if possible,
plan a
research trip to your ancestor's town and include a visit
a cemetery,
travel to Ellis Island, the National Archives in Washington,
D.C. or
one of the National Archives Records Administration’s
(NARA) regional
facilities, or the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake
City.
9)
Find a Buddy. Working out and dieting with a partner provides
encouragement, inspiration and support, especially during
those
times you want to quit. When researching your roots, try to
find a
family member to share the research tasks. If you do not have
a
family member who shares your passion for genealogy, then
find
an online buddy. Post to genealogy-specific message board
at
Ancestry.com/RootsWeb.com or Genealogy.com. Join a local
genealogical or historical society or ethnic-based research
group,
and network with other researchers at genealogy conferences
and seminars.
10)
Take a Break. Just as it is recommended that you rest your
body
in order to repair your muscles, you may also consider recharging
your batteries when it comes to genealogy. Your brain is on
overdrive,
processing all of your family history information. Put aside
the family
line you have been researching and do something completely
unrelated.
Schedule a vacation. Watch a movie. Read a novel. When you
return
to your research tasks, you will have a new perspective, perhaps
you
will see a new lead or direction to bust that brick wall or
find that elusive ancestor.
11)
Add a New Twist to Your Routine. You can vary your physical
workout by swimming instead of jogging or signing up for a
step
aerobics or spinning class. With genealogy, try subscribing
to or
using a new database, or signing up for a class on GenClass!
12)
Persist Over the Plateau. Inevitably with your fitness program
and
your genealogical research you will hit a plateau. If you
find yourself
facing an impasse, don't give up. Ask yourself whether you
have really
given it your all? Then push yourself a little harder. Spend
an extra fifteen
minutes perusing that microfilmed baptismal certificate. Experiment
with
alternate spellings or use search tools such as ethnicity
or year when
searching in online databases. Find new and creative ways
to obtain
information, such as contacting libraries or historical societies,
or posting
queries to an online forum or print publication. Sometimes
thinking
"outside the box" will lead you to information on
your ancestor that you
never even knew existed.
Finally,
remember that once you reach a half way point in your routine,
take time to evaluate your progress. With fitness goals you
look at how
many pounds have been lost and what further effort it will
take to reach
a target weight. Similarly, with genealogy, you should keep
a checklist of
what research tasks have been accomplished and what is still
unknown.
This system of checks and balances gives you a perspective
on how
many more pounds you have left to lose and how many more ancestors
you still need to find, and most importantly, it gives you
a chance to
look back and take pride in all you've accomplished.
+----------------
UPCOMING CLASSES -------------------+
Register for a class at http://www.genclass.com
JANUARY 2008: Classes start January 1, 2008
*
Adoption Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance for successfully
locating and reuniting adoptees and birth families.
*
Canadian Research - Internet Resources - Part 1:
This course does more than get you started. It takes you deep
into
some of the country's best records - many on the Internet
*
Genealogy for Kids:
Introducing our children to family history through hands-on
projects
and joint investigations online and off-line.
*
Jump Start your Genealogy!:
Just where do you start if you are interested in your family
tree?
- detailed instructions.
*
Lost Friends and Family Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance on the methods to use
for successfully tracing "lost" relatives and friends.
*
Native American Genealogy:
Learn how to start your research for your Native American
Ancestors.
*
Salt Lake City - Part 1: the Largest Genealogical Library
in the World!:
Access the largest genealogical library in the world.
Perform searches, knowledgeably; and understand what you've
found.
*
Write Your Family History Step-by-Step:
How to write your own family history, - a detailed and step-by-step
guide.
FEBRUARY 2008: Classes start February 1, 2008
*
Adoption Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance for successfully
locating and reuniting adoptees and birth families.
*
Basic English Research:
Learn how to start researching your English ancestors -
historical background, geography, finding the "bones"
of your family.
*
Brick Wall Research:
Brick Walls are common in genealogy.
Learn tips, tricks, solutions and strategies to bust through
them.
*
Canadian Research - Internet Resources - Part 2:
Part 2 builds on Part 1 and advances your research using the
most
helpful records – with lots of practical search tips,
tricks,and advice.
* Eastern European Genealogy Research -Part 1:
This class will continue on from the basic Eastern European
research
class, focusing on how to expand your research beyond your
own
family into a more community-oriented protocol.
*
Family Tree Maker 2008 - Advanced:
Advanced features, like books, trees, reports and web sites.
*
Jewish Genealogy - Internet (Part 2):
This class builds on the basics course, providing detailed
information
about search engines, general genealogy sites, Jewish genealogy
sites.
*
Lost Friends and Family Investigative Class:
Detailed search advice and assistance on the methods to use
for successfully tracing "lost" relatives and friends.
*
Northeastern United States Genealogy:
Research in the NE states is fundamental to the trees of many
Americans.
*
Salt Lake City - Part 2: the Largest Genealogical Library
in the World!:
Access the largest genealogical library in the world. Continuing
on from Part 1,
this course takes you into the sections that most people never
use
- and what a mistake that is!
*
Scottish Genealogy:
This extensive class will provide a detailed description of
what you
need to know to track your Scottish ancestry.
Learn more at http://www.genclass.com
Register for a class at http://classes.genclass.com
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That's
all for now, until next month!
-- LISA ALZO, Newsletter Editor
============[
GenClass Information ]==============
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