Lynn Palermo's Posts - Genealogy Wise2024-03-28T17:59:24ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermohttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2207002431?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.genealogywise.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1a7h0pf79jhog&xn_auth=noYour Family History Research: What’s Holding You Back?tag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-02-11:3463583:BlogPost:2287252010-02-11T22:31:20.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
<h3 align="center" class="post-title entry-title"><a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/02/your-family-history-research-whats.html">Your Family History Research: What’s Holding You Back?</a></h3>
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<blockquote class="post-body entry-content"><em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; FONT-SIZE: large">"What have you been putting off and what…</span></em></blockquote>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" align="center"><a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/02/your-family-history-research-whats.html">Your Family History Research: What’s Holding You Back?</a></h3>
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<blockquote class="post-body entry-content"><em><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; FONT-SIZE: large">"What have you been putting off and what is holding you back in your family history research?"</span></em><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif"><br/></span></blockquote>
<div class="post-body entry-content"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Of course</span>, there are plenty of good reasons for putting things off – timing is important and you can’t do everything at once however if you’re anything like me there are things that you know you probably should be doing that you’re simply procrastinating about.</span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One of the biggest procrastinations for me, up until last week, was ordering some German records through the Family History Centre as well as ordering some microfilms from the Ontario Archives. Now I know some of you who have been doing this much longer than me are scratching your heads... Why?</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Answer: Because I’m an armchair genealogist and the majority of my research and the majority of my learning has taken place online. I believe I am part of the newest generation of family historians, who turn to online databases as our first and sometimes only source of information; archives are unchartered ground for us. Believe it or not confession time, I have never used a microfilm reader (I can hear you all gasping now). I believe this just speaks to the incredible amount of information that is available online, with records being digitized by the boatloads, there has been little call for me up until this point to seek out a document from an archive. Well there has, but either I wait for them to be digitized or I get myself into the archives and learn.</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I knew there were records available for my ancestor’s church in Germany, but I was not familiar with the Family History Centre, so I procrastinated, until last week when I took the plunge. (I will keep you posted on how I made out)</span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why didn’t I do it earlier? Was it laziness…. or busyness….? If I’m honest about it, I’m sure it would be a bit of both of those things, however I suspect it was also partly fear that held me back.</span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Fear that I didn’t know what I was looking at, fear that nobody would help me, fear that people would critique me for calling myself a family historian but not being really very savvy with non digitized archives.</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually, saying I was too busy sounds a bit better because the latter makes me sound very insecure.</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the end, I knew that if I didn’t order these records and take the plunge I couldn’t move past the brick wall. I’d be kicking myself later. The time came for me to draw a line in the sand and just do it. I didn’t have any secret strategies for taking the plunge other than an attitude adjustment.</span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I did tell a couple of others that I was doing it....can’t turn back now. I did some homework before going in so I could tell them specifically what I was looking for....try to at least give the impression I knew what I was talking about. All of that helped get me going. In addition, when I arrived at the family history centre I pleaded ignorance and all was good.</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">They were warm, inviting, helpful, Thanks Jim! (And know they didn’t try to get me to join their church) I paid my $6.50 and now I wait for my microfilm to arrive from Salt Lake City. I ‘m not even sure I’m going to be able to read it, but Jim tells me, he will be able to help me with that as well.</span> <br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/></div>
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<div class="post-body entry-content"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br/></span><br/><br/><span style="FONT-SIZE: large"><strong><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif">“<em>what’s one thing that you have been putting off that would improve your family history research? (what’s stopping you from tearing down a brick wall?)”</em></span></strong></span><br/><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif"><br/></span><br/>picture used through <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/"><font color="#78B749">Creative Commmons license</font></a></div>
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<div class="post-body entry-content"></div>A Canvas of My Own - Creating a Family History Booktag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-02-03:3463583:BlogPost:2261522010-02-03T16:03:19.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Interested in learning more about My Canvas to create your family history book. Today at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">www.thearmchairgenealogist.com</a> Thomas MacEntee of <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com" target="_blank">Geneabloggers</a> guests posts, and tells us of his personal experience with this program by <a href="http://www.ancestry.com" target="_blank">Ancestry.com</a>.
Interested in learning more about My Canvas to create your family history book. Today at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">www.thearmchairgenealogist.com</a> Thomas MacEntee of <a href="http://www.geneabloggers.com" target="_blank">Geneabloggers</a> guests posts, and tells us of his personal experience with this program by <a href="http://www.ancestry.com" target="_blank">Ancestry.com</a>.Writing a Family Biography (Part 2)- A Handy Templatetag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-02-01:3463583:BlogPost:2257422010-02-01T18:40:44.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
<b>A Family Biography Template</b><br />
Many people shy away from including too much writing in their family history books, assuming it takes some special talent. Often this results in a quick rendition of the facts of a person's life, born, worked, married, died. Not exactly creative.<br />
Below I have prepared a simple template anyone can use to write a creative biography about an ancestor or a living relative. This template provides an added element, a family element. This tool will help you reveal…
<b>A Family Biography Template</b><br />
Many people shy away from including too much writing in their family history books, assuming it takes some special talent. Often this results in a quick rendition of the facts of a person's life, born, worked, married, died. Not exactly creative.<br />
Below I have prepared a simple template anyone can use to write a creative biography about an ancestor or a living relative. This template provides an added element, a family element. This tool will help you reveal not only the individual, but the family he was a part of and how they connected. After having completed your preparation and research from Part 1, you are ready to start writing a family biography. Insert your research into this easy to use template and begin.<br />
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<b>Create an Outline</b><br />
Outline the major events of the life of your main subject such as education, relationships and jobs. Your outline can be in point form, one or two words. Aside from the facts, you may also wish to dig a little deeper, try to understand the person behind the life, what did their life mean. Writing a good biography is not just about a rendition of facts, ask yourself what is their story? Include other noteworthy accomplishments, events, tragedies and successes, offering more interest and colour to your biography. This is a family biography, therefore we will draw on other family members and their memories, recollections and stories of family life that revolved around your focal character. All of this information you will have drawn from your research, your interview questions and the family group sheets you completed in <a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/family-biography-lesson-in-writing.html" target="_blank">Part 1 - Preparing to Write a Family Biography</a><br />
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<b>The Beginning</b><br />
Try to avoid starting your biography with the subject’s birth. Instead, make your opening statement an interesting little known fact or an intriguing event of your ancestor’s life. Sometimes the 'theme' of person's life emerges after having written the biography. Do not be afraid to write the beginning at the end.<br />
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<b>The Middle</b><br />
With your outline and research in-hand write the subject’s life out in chronological order. At this point, you may wish to include family memories, thoughts and childhood recollections. For instance, if you were writing a family biography of your grandfather, then you could insert childhood memories from his children and grandchildren. Now, your reader not only has a window into the biography of your focal person but the biography of the family that surrounded him, his connection with others in his family and how they connected with him.<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
If the person is still living, end with an uplifting conclusion, future endeavours, or an outlook on life. If they are dead, then conclude with one of their greatest acomplishments , or how they influenced others in their life.<br />
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<b>Rough Draft</b><br />
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Always start with a rough draft. Just start writing. There will be plenty of time to fine tune, get the facts down, the main ideas and the events of your relative's life into words. I have yet to meet a writer who puts down the perfect sentence right out of the box. Expand your outline, taking each point from your outline and develop it into full sentences and paragraphs, offering more detail, and complete thoughts.<br />
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<b>Read and Revise and Rest</b><br />
Read and revise your draft, then let it rest. Let your first draft sit for maybe a day, a week or a month depending on your deadline, while your creative battery recharges. Then, look at it with fresh eyes and re- read it and revise. You may need to repeat this step several times. Give the draft to a trusted reader and be open to any comments the reader offers. Based on their feedback, be willing to revise it one more time.<br />
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If you wish, you can use this template for each family member. When you do this, suddenly, a wider family history is revealed, as many members of a family may share similar experiences while others may offer a different perspective or unique memory. Inevitable, a theme will emerge and before you know it you will have written a portrait of a family.<br />
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You are now ready to start writing your family biography. Happy Writing!<br />
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<b>Related Reading</b><br />
<a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/family-biography-lesson-in-writing.html" target="_blank">Part 1- A Family Biography - A Lesson in Writing</a><br />
<a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/family-history-interview-questions.html" target="_blank">Family Interview Questions</a>Family Biography - A Lesson in Writingtag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-01-28:3463583:BlogPost:2246792010-01-28T14:08:14.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
<b>Part 1- Preparing to Write a Family Biography</b>This week I have been crazy busy writing family biographies. Three years ago, I began researching and writing the Kowalsky Family History Book. (I may have mentioned it once or twice before) From this process, I have learned a great deal about writing a family biography.<br />
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A biography is a life story written by someone other than the subject. A family biography is a bit different. It features more people, all related in some way. It will tell…
<b>Part 1- Preparing to Write a Family Biography</b>This week I have been crazy busy writing family biographies. Three years ago, I began researching and writing the Kowalsky Family History Book. (I may have mentioned it once or twice before) From this process, I have learned a great deal about writing a family biography.<br />
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A biography is a life story written by someone other than the subject. A family biography is a bit different. It features more people, all related in some way. It will tell about events that happened to the family. It will share details about the individuals in a family and about family life.<br />
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Sometime ago we had the brilliant idea that each one of my aunts and uncles would receive a couple of pages with various photos depicting their life along with a biography of their life to date. Since it has been 30 years since our last family book, we thought we should take each one of my cousins, who now have children and grandchildren of their own and give them each a page with a small biography.<br />
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By taking this approach, we felt we would create a family biography, linking the individuals that make up a family together, through their shared experiences, inherited traits, and details of their family life.<br />
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This was no small feat; I have nine aunts and uncles on this side of the family and 45 cousins. I was faced with the daunting task of writing 54 biographies. Of course, you do not need to take as large a project as I did. These simple steps can be applied to any size family biography. This is how we got it done.<br />
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The easiest method of communication with everyone was email. We started with a mass email letting everyone know of our intentions and asking for their cooperation. We acquired the information and prepared to write the biographies in three stages.<br />
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Step One<br />
We sent out a family group sheet to each family, listing the family members names, birth dates, marriages, death etc. All the vital statistics we would require to update our information. We asked them to make any corrections, or additions to this sheet; this was our jumping off point, insuring what information we did or didn’t have was accurate. When this information was returned to us, we recorded it in our pedigree charts.<br />
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Step Two<br />
We put out a request for photographs. We stipulated the kind of photographs we were looking for, from toddler years to a recent headshot and everything in between. We wanted to be sure we had plenty to choose from, not all the pictures would make it in but we wanted to have a choice. It was important to send this out early, because just this week, nearly one and half years later after the initial request was made the last family member has submitted her pictures. We used to joke that it was easier getting pictures and information from the deceased then from our living relatives. Pictures may not seem like an obvious request for writing a biography, they initially were intended to accompany the bio, but they did sure a purpose in some cases to learn about our relatives and to connect family members.<br />
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Step Thrree<br />
We sent each aunt or uncle (my Dad’s brother and sisters) and each one of their children (my cousins) a questionnaire. Since, there were so many cousins we did a standard questionnaire of approximately 25 questions. For my aunts and uncles, who we affectionately refer to as the elders, I wrote more individual questionnaires with specific questions to their life. The questions were directed towards major events in their lives: education, relationships and jobs, for example. We probe into the effects the world had on them and their impact on the world and their reflections of family life and their role in the family. <a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/family-history-interview-questions.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a list of possible interview questions.<br />
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Once we had their family group sheets in hand, their pictures and their questionnaires, I sat down to the task of writing a biography for each one of them. At the time of this post, I have written over 40 family biographies and I would like to share with you what I learned in Part 2 of Writing a Family Biography on Monday Feb 1st at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">The Armchair Genealogist.</a>5 Tips to Choosing an Online Genealogy Databasetag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-01-18:3463583:BlogPost:2218552010-01-18T20:45:18.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Now more than ever, I can appreciate how confusing it can be for a family historian trying to decide on which database they would like to join when beginning their family research. If you’re an armchair genealogist then certainly you want to belong to an online genealogy database. The question is which database to join?<br />
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I am here to tell you, only you can know the answer to that. How do you know?<br />
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1. Gather as much information about your ancestors prior to seeking out a database. Where your…
Now more than ever, I can appreciate how confusing it can be for a family historian trying to decide on which database they would like to join when beginning their family research. If you’re an armchair genealogist then certainly you want to belong to an online genealogy database. The question is which database to join?<br />
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I am here to tell you, only you can know the answer to that. How do you know?<br />
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1. Gather as much information about your ancestors prior to seeking out a database. Where your ancestors originated from, whether it was Ireland, Germany, Poland and where they arrived, the US or Canada could influence which database you wish to join. Not all databases are created equal. Investigate the resources a database offers you in terms of your specific needs.<br />
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2. Consider how much money you are willing to spend if any. I am personally a big fan of Ancestry. However, Ancestry is an investment in your genealogy. If you do not wish to make that kind of investment then you may want to consider Family Search, a free database.<br />
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3. There are also plenty of smaller databases, specializing in specific countries. Personally, researching my Irish Ancestry, I have had better luck with such databases such as Irish Family History Foundation or Irish Origins.<br />
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4. Take them for a trial run. Many databases offer free 7 days subscriptions, this provides you an opportunity to get into the documents and make sure they are the right fit for you.<br />
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5. However, you do not have to make a long-term commitment to any database. Depending on the database, you can subscribe for 48 hours, a week, a month, a year. Other databases such as the Irish Family History Foundation will charge you by the document.<br />
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There are many smaller databases, they offer you records that are more specific, such as newspaper databases, cemetery databases and passenger lists, and they are great as an add-on to a main database. However, in my opinion you should make yourself familiar with the major online genealogy databases if you are new to family research. Here are the bigger players to investigate to get you started. Keeping in mind, the above 5 tips to determine which database is the best fit for your genealogy research.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ancestry.com" target="_blank">Ancestry.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.familysearch.org" target="_blank">Family Search</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.footnote.com" target="_blank">Footnote.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.worldvitalrecords.com" target="_blank">World Vital Records</a><br />
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Related Reading in the Series Beginner's Basics<br />
<a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/genealogy-begins-at-home.html" target="_blank">Genealogy Begins at Home</a><br />
<a href="http://http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com/2010/01/how-to-unlock-facts-and-folklore.html" target="_blank">Interviewing</a>Determining a Budget for Your Family History Booktag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-01-15:3463583:BlogPost:2204502010-01-15T01:04:02.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Deciding to create a family history book can be a large undertaking and it can be an expensive undertaking. Often the process can take on a life of its own. Therefore, it is important to set parameters for your family history book. One of those parameters must include a budget. It is very important to decide on a budget for your book in conjunction with deciding on the size and scope of your book. A great way to determine your budget is to ask yourself some key questions.<br />
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<b>Do I want to sell…</b>
Deciding to create a family history book can be a large undertaking and it can be an expensive undertaking. Often the process can take on a life of its own. Therefore, it is important to set parameters for your family history book. One of those parameters must include a budget. It is very important to decide on a budget for your book in conjunction with deciding on the size and scope of your book. A great way to determine your budget is to ask yourself some key questions.<br />
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<b>Do I want to sell my book or give it away?</b> - Knowing which path you want to take will help determine the budget.<br />
- If you wish to give the book away, then examine the various publishing methods available and the cost per book prior to writing your book.<br />
- Size, quantity and the method of printing all reflex heavily in the cost of your family history book<br />
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<b>Who is my market for this book and how many books do I need to print?</b>- This is a good time to poll your family and determine how many books you will require.<br />
- Don’t assume everyone will want a book, while others may want several books to give to their children.<br />
- Some will want one copy per family; others will want to purchase a copy for every member of the family.<br />
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<b>How much are my family members willing to pay for this book?</b>- You need to determine what your family members are willing to pay for their family history.<br />
- If you price your book to high you risk selling less and being stuck with extra copies at a cost to you.<br />
- If you price your book to low, you may sell more copies but not cover all your costs, again you may be looking at an added expense to yourself.<br />
- When you are closer to a print-date, you can ask for pre-orders and collect the price of the book in advance relieving the burden of the sole cost to you.<br />
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<b>How much can you afford to invest in your own book?</b><br />
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- You may or may not be willing to invest your own money in your family history book.<br />
- You can consider investing your own money to defray the costs and reduce the price of the book for family members.<br />
- You can also ask for donations to help cover these costs.<br />
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<b>Do you wish to cover other costs in the price of your book?</b><br />
- You may want to consider building other costs into the price point of your book, things such as research costs, including travel to archives and hometowns.<br />
- If you hired a professional researcher to handle research in a foreign country you can build these cost into the price of your book.<br />
- Perhaps you would like to cover the costs of genealogy courses.<br />
- The book price could possible cover a subscription to an online database and the purchase of documents.<br />
- Costs can be defrayed, if you are smart about how you decide to print your family history book<br />
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Now that you know how many books you require, how much you are willing to invest, how much your family is willing to pay, and any other costs you wish to cover in the preparation of your family history book, you can determine which self-publishing method you wish to use. Most likely, you will be seeking out a good compromise between your dream book and what you and your family can afford.<br />
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Here is a list of parameters that you must consider in the printing of your book. Each one of these items can greatly affect the cost of your family history book.<br />
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• The number of books you need.<br />
• The size of the book, both size of the page and number of pages will be reflected in the cost.<br />
• Whether you choose full colour, black and white or a combination, will be reflected in the final price of the book.<br />
• The kind of binding and cover you wish your book to have makes a tremendous difference in the price.<br />
• If you are able to have the book print ready, this will reduce the cost, but if you wish a printer to do all the layout and graphics of your book then your costs will escalate.<br />
• The more you can do in advance of publishing the better your chances of reducing your printing costs.<br />
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In future posts, we will be examining the various self-publishing methods available along with the pros and cons of each, and their costs.<br />
To learn more about writing your family history you can check out related articles at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">The Armchair Genealogist</a> many great books available to help you through the process at <a href="http://http://astore.amazon.com/thearmcgene-20" target="_blank">The Genealogist's Store</a>Tips to Becoming a More Productive Genealogisttag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-01-05:3463583:BlogPost:2176892010-01-05T22:41:50.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
1.Determine Your Genealogy Goals- without a goal and a path you will wander aimlessly, accomplishing very little. Setting goals and creating an action plan for a achieving your goals are imperative to staying the course. Don’t hesitate to revisit these goals throughout the year.<br />
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2.Create a Daily, Weekly and Monthly Routine- set time aside each week to work on your genealogy project.<br />
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3.Create a Schedule or To-Do-List – break down your goals into actions, schedule your actions into a calendar…
1.Determine Your Genealogy Goals- without a goal and a path you will wander aimlessly, accomplishing very little. Setting goals and creating an action plan for a achieving your goals are imperative to staying the course. Don’t hesitate to revisit these goals throughout the year.<br />
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2.Create a Daily, Weekly and Monthly Routine- set time aside each week to work on your genealogy project.<br />
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3.Create a Schedule or To-Do-List – break down your goals into actions, schedule your actions into a calendar or to-do-list. If you have Microsoft Outlook you can create multiple calendars. Create a genealogy calendar and schedule your research time and genealogy activities into this calendar.<br />
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4.Too Many Distractions- email, cell phones, twitter, facebook, all can distract you from the task. Shut them down and commit to only checking them at designated times throughout the day or evening. This eliminates the continuous onslaught of communication constantly infiltrating on your space and time.<br />
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5.Write It Down - Often when we are working on one branch or individual in our genealogy, other branches or individuals come to mind, and we are easily sided track. Keep a note pad, tape recorder or post-it notes nearby. Record your thoughts and come back to them later rather than have them distract you from your current task.<br />
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6.Enlist The Help of Others- many of us are eager to do all the work ourselves. As a wife, mother, daughter, genealogists and writer, I have many pans in the fire. I learned years ago to lean on others to help me. I also learned to prioritize, and let things go that are not important.<br />
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At the end of the day, we need to continually remind ourselves to stay focused and organized it is imperative to being a more productive genealogist.<br />
Further related articles can be found at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">The Armchair Genealogist</a>Preserving Your Family History- The Best Optionstag:www.genealogywise.com,2010-01-04:3463583:BlogPost:2172142010-01-04T22:17:14.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Many family historians spend their entire lives collecting documents, pictures and stories of their ancestors. Their project usually starts out as a keen interest in whom they are and where they come from. The journey becomes not only about acquiring the proof of their ancestors existence but it also becomes a journey of personal self-discovery. For this, the proof that exists in the documents, photos and stories that they acquire become very valuable to them. Here lies the problem. This…
Many family historians spend their entire lives collecting documents, pictures and stories of their ancestors. Their project usually starts out as a keen interest in whom they are and where they come from. The journey becomes not only about acquiring the proof of their ancestors existence but it also becomes a journey of personal self-discovery. For this, the proof that exists in the documents, photos and stories that they acquire become very valuable to them. Here lies the problem. This creates the problem, what does a family historian do with his or her’s family history once they are gone?<br />
The thought of stashing it away on a shelf, never to be seen again, is a painful thought for most of us. We want to share our finds if not today, with future generations. How do we do that? How do we ensure that future generations will be the recipient of this labour of love?<br />
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Your options<br />
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1.You can leave your valuable documents to a family member in your will or estate, ensuring this relative will carry the torch forward for you. Be sure you speak with them in advance. Let them know of your intentions. Although you can never guarantee that leaving a relative your family history documents will be handled with the care in which you intended, however, speaking in advance with the recipient will but your mind at ease that they have the same interest and respect for the knowledge you are leaving them.<br />
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2.You may wish to create a family history book and distribute to your family. Not everyone maybe interested today, but by leaving multiple copies throughout the family, you ensure a greater chance of future generations picking up where you left off.<br />
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3.You can distribute your book to libraries, archives and genealogical societies. A current project is under way with the Canadian Library Archives. Canada 150 is a national project to encourage Canadians to assemble their family history in time for the 150th birthday of Canada on July 1st, 2017. By depositing your stories in the national Library and Archives Canada, you will be leaving your families, community and entire country with an invaluable gift.<br />
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4.In this new age of digital books, you can create an e-book. You can provide your family history e-book to Google books, or OurRoots.ca or the BYU Family History Archive to name a few. This will put your family history book not only on the shelves of libraries but in the world largest digital library.<br />
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5.You can create an online family website, enlisting the help of younger generations to help you keep it up to date. This would aid in its survival long after you are gone.<br />
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6.You can distribute your family tree amongst the many online databases that exist today. Ancestry.com, World Vital Records and Footnote. Creating a tree in these vast databases allows you to spread your tree quite literally worldwide.<br />
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There are many great genealogy books available to help you decide on the method you wish to take to preserving your family history. Want to read more about creating a family history book and preserving your family history check out these related articles.<br />
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Read further related articles at <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">www.thearmchairgenealogist.com</a>Top Ten Genealogy Software Programstag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-17:3463583:BlogPost:2132842009-12-17T14:16:15.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Genealogy software is a hot topic amongst family historians. Many have opinions and they are often based on personal experience. I am not going to pretend to know all the ins and outs of all the genealogy software on the market. However, if you are in the market for genealogy software and don’t know where to begin then may I suggest the website <a href="http://www.toptenreviews.com" target="_blank">Top Ten Reviews</a>. If you have narrowed it down to a few then this website maybe able to help…
Genealogy software is a hot topic amongst family historians. Many have opinions and they are often based on personal experience. I am not going to pretend to know all the ins and outs of all the genealogy software on the market. However, if you are in the market for genealogy software and don’t know where to begin then may I suggest the website <a href="http://www.toptenreviews.com" target="_blank">Top Ten Reviews</a>. If you have narrowed it down to a few then this website maybe able to help you make that final decision.<br />
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Top Ten Reviews have done all the work for us. They offer the <a href="http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/" target="_blank">10 top Genealogy software programs</a> on the market. They offer an editors review, along with users reviews and ratings. A handy spreadsheets spells out all the options each program offers. Your choice will depend on what you want your software program to do for you. The spreadsheet offers all the programs features in a handy chart for comparsion so you can make an educated decision. You can also purchase these programs from Top Ten Reviews at competitive prices.<br />
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They have named Legacy Deluxe 7, Family TreeMaker 2010 and Rootsmagic 4 as the top three genealogy software programs. If you have already being working with one or more of these programs, feel free to share your experience. What were it strengths? Its weaknesses? What did you buy it to do and did it meet your expectations? Do you agree with their assessment of these programs. More specifically, if you have used your genealogy software program <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank">to create a family history book</a>, I especially would like to hear from you. So share. All opinions welcomed.A Lesson in Writing a Narrative Family Historytag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-16:3463583:BlogPost:2131562009-12-16T14:54:43.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
If you are ready to start writing your family history book but not sure how to turn your research into an interesting life story then I have some tips to get you started. How do you write a descriptive, creative, narrative story about your relatives when all you have is a list of dry facts and documents to draw on? How do you turn your facts into a story about an individual you never met?<br />
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Believe or not before you begin writing your family history, I am going to suggest more research. However,…
If you are ready to start writing your family history book but not sure how to turn your research into an interesting life story then I have some tips to get you started. How do you write a descriptive, creative, narrative story about your relatives when all you have is a list of dry facts and documents to draw on? How do you turn your facts into a story about an individual you never met?<br />
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Believe or not before you begin writing your family history, I am going to suggest more research. However, this time, you may want to consider a few different sources. Up until now, you have sought out very specific documents that you can attach to your ancestors. Unfortunately, there will not always be a collection of documents to help identify your relative. Even with these documents in hand, you may need more if you want to write a narrative of your ancestor’s life. Below is a list of my favourite research sources for bringing to life the lives of an ancestor.<br />
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•Interview the living -the first time you interviewed them you may have been seeking mostly facts, dates, and names. Re-address your living relatives with a different approach, this time, seeking out stories around daily events, traditions, hobbies and specific interests. Get to the root of who they were not just when they lived.<br />
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•Turn to your digital library to find social histories and experiences of other people in the same given time and place.<br />
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•Look to town and city histories during the period of your ancestors to help paint a picture of the community in which they lived.<br />
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•Revisit the neighbourhood of your ancestors to appreciate the kind of community they came from, who their neighbours were, and the struggles and strengths of their community.<br />
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•Look to timelines of wars, natural disasters and epidemics to understand the world and local events your ancestors lived through.<br />
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•Read about cultural customs including foods, music, social events and traditions of their homeland.<br />
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•Fiction novels although to you may seem unconventional, can sometimes offer up a very detailed window into the lives of our ancestors. Many historical fictional novels were written with great care to insure historical accuracies. Writers invest a lot of time in painting a picture of the people of the time. These novels can be very useful in giving you a feel for the lives and perils of your ancestors through some major historical times and events.<br />
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Culling as much information as possible from all of these sources and weaving them with the historical facts of your relatives, will put you on your way to a creative narrative history that your family will want to read. Perhaps painting a picture of your ancestor where one may have never existed before.Great Jobs for Genealogists-2010 Census Jobstag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-10:3463583:BlogPost:2123442009-12-10T23:01:45.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
I came across this job posting and felt some of you may be interested. I thought this was a great way for the genealogy community to give back, to the many who recorded all those wonderful documents we value today in our research. Plus, here’s an opportunity for you to insure future genealogists get accurate information. This is a paying job.<br />
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This is a US census so it only applies to my American friends.<br />
You can apply at…
I came across this job posting and felt some of you may be interested. I thought this was a great way for the genealogy community to give back, to the many who recorded all those wonderful documents we value today in our research. Plus, here’s an opportunity for you to insure future genealogists get accurate information. This is a paying job.<br />
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This is a US census so it only applies to my American friends.<br />
You can apply at <a href="http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/">http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/</a><a href="http://http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/" target="_blank"></a><br />
Below is a brief description from their website about the positions, and a brief video clip is available from the above website to learn more about these positions.<br />
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As stated from the US Census Department website:<br />
The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. Best of all, census takers work right in their own communities.<br />
Census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community.<br />
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Hundreds of thousands are needed for temporary jobs<br />
Conducting the census is a huge undertaking. Hundreds of thousands of census takers are needed nationwide to help locate households and conduct brief personal interviews with residents. Most positions require a valid driver's license and use of a vehicle. However, use of public transportation may be authorized in certain areas.<br />
Your community is counting on you<br />
Every 10 years, the Census Bureau takes a snapshot of our population, determining how many people reside within the nation's borders, who they are, and where they live. The results help determine your representation in government, as well as how federal funds are spent in your community on things like roads, parks, housing, schools, and public safety. As a census taker, you'll play a vital role in making sure that everyone is counted.Still Looking for Genealogy Gifts?tag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-10:3463583:BlogPost:2123132009-12-10T17:36:58.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
If your looking for some great Genealogy Christmas gifts, check out My Store at the <a href="http://www.thearmc">www.thearmc</a><a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank"></a>hairgenealogist.com
If your looking for some great Genealogy Christmas gifts, check out My Store at the <a href="http://www.thearmc">www.thearmc</a><a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank"></a>hairgenealogist.comHow to Determine the Size and Scope of Your Family History Booktag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-10:3463583:BlogPost:2122242009-12-10T00:25:39.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Last week I posted about getting your genealogy research organized so that you can get ready to start writing your family history book. By organizing your information, you should now have a better knowledge of what you have in your arsenal to create your book.<br />
The size of your family history book can vary. It may be a small booklet of a dozen photocopied pages but together in project folder to a large 200-page full colour coffee table style book. Only you can decide which challenge you are up…
Last week I posted about getting your genealogy research organized so that you can get ready to start writing your family history book. By organizing your information, you should now have a better knowledge of what you have in your arsenal to create your book.<br />
The size of your family history book can vary. It may be a small booklet of a dozen photocopied pages but together in project folder to a large 200-page full colour coffee table style book. Only you can decide which challenge you are up for. However, here are a few things to consider when making the decision on the size and scope of your family history book. Below are 5 questions to ask yourself before you dive into your project.<br />
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<b>How many families and generations do you wish to cover?</b><br />
Do you wish to create an all inclusive book with all your surname lines, or is the amount of information you have to large, or does that seem to overwhelming. You can consider a book based on one individual or follow on surname line, or one set of grandparents. Look at how much research you have to fill your book. Do you want to include the living in your book or only past ancestors?<br />
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<b>What is your vision for your family history book?</b><br />
Do you see your book as small and intimate, maybe a pedigree chart, some pictures and a few stories or are you envisioning a coffee table style book in full colour. Perhaps your ideal family history book falls somewhere in between, maybe your thinking of a scrapbook or maybe a dozen photocopied pages in a three ring binder. Knowing what your final goal is helps in laying out the process to making it happen. Some of this may be reflected in your budget, but if budget if you can’t afford that big coffee style book you may need to consider scaling down your project, to get the look you want. Perhaps having all lines in one book is your goal then you may have to rethink the vision that matches the budget.<br />
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<b>Have you considered your audience before starting your book?</b><br />
Whom are you creating this book for? Perhaps this book is mean’t just for you, maybe a handful of family will want a copy, and maybe you have a large family and will be selling into the hundreds? What will be the age range of your audience? Will your book need to be pretty and engaging, are you trying to interest a younger audience or are you creating merely a book with just the facts as a record for future generations. Do wish to give your books to libraries, archives or genealogical societies or maybe you wish to sell it online. Keep your audience in mind when considering your book.<br />
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<b>Have you determined your budget?</b><br />
A very serious element to determine the size and scope of your book is how much you plan to spend to create your family history book and who will be paying for it. Are you willing to cover the entire costs yourself or willing you looking for donations from key family members to help? You can also consider selling your book to family members. You must poll your audience and see how much interest there is in purchasing a family history book. Never assume you are going to print 100 books at a cost of $20.00 or $30.00 unless you are willing to dig into your own pocket when not all the books sell. The budget and printing of a family history book is a large topic and I will cover in more detail in future posts. In the meantime, you have determined your audience now understand how much and how many books this might materialize in to.<br />
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<b>Have you considered your time and talent?</b><br />
Too many individuals have ideas of grandeur of creating a family history book that far exceeds the time they are willing to invest. If you work full-time, have a family your time is precious don’t take on more than you can handle. You will become frustrated by the lack of progress and more likely, your dreams of a family history book will far exceed time restraints.<br />
Also, consider your talent. By talents, I mean your creative talents in assembling a family history book. Certainly if you are considering this venture then you are bringing some talents to the table, whether you are a great researcher, or writer or perhaps graphic design is your strength. You do not need to be an expert in anyone of these fields to create a family history book; however, it will take some level of talent in all of these areas to create your book. Many software programs will help you with this. However, if you’re not familiar with them then there will be a learning curve. Don’t set your sites on something that exceeds your talents again unless you have the time to invest in learning along the way. Do consider creating a team of family members. Bringing several family members together and using each other’s talents will lighten the load and make for a much more enjoyable journey.<br />
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In the end keep it real, understand the time you have to dedicate to this project, the scope of your research, the size of your families, and the budget you have to work with before rushing into creating a your family history book. I assure you regardless of what path you choose, the journey will be rewarding.Defining Today's Familytag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-07:3463583:BlogPost:2113102009-12-07T23:41:01.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
This week, I read an article in the latest issue of NGS Magazine entitled What is a Family? by Harold E. Hinds Jr. The subject of this article was based on his Grandmother’s two bibles. These two bibles outlined two very different concepts of his family. Like many families, there were sometimes aspects of our ancestor’s lives that were considered in appropriate and so some of our relatives took it upon themselves to rewrite their families’ history.<br />
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Today, we have a different situation. Our…
This week, I read an article in the latest issue of NGS Magazine entitled What is a Family? by Harold E. Hinds Jr. The subject of this article was based on his Grandmother’s two bibles. These two bibles outlined two very different concepts of his family. Like many families, there were sometimes aspects of our ancestor’s lives that were considered in appropriate and so some of our relatives took it upon themselves to rewrite their families’ history.<br />
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Today, we have a different situation. Our society is very welcoming to all varying degrees of blended families. We have traditional marriages with a husband and wife. We have gay marriages or relationships, as gay marriage is not yet legal everywhere. We have children conceived in test tubes, with unknown fathers. The list goes on; there are as many different styles of families today as there are people. I have no problem with any one of these styles of families. Love is love. However, my genealogy software certainly does.<br />
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My concern is that unless we give proper due diligence to recording our families’ histories, 100 years from now when our descendants take on the task of genealogy, they may be at a lost. For example, how will a gay relationship appear on a census? Will it appear as two men or two women living together, possibly with children in a family unit? Our censuses today do not define these non-traditional families. In many cases, marriage certificates for these relationships will not exist, one less document for the genealogist to find. If census records don’t record these family units properly, then they may not be identified in history as a family unit.<br />
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Many men and women have now multiple partners in their lifetime. This was quite uncommon in the past. Usually multiple spouses were a result of the death of a partner at a young age. Divorce was not an option. Today men and women have multiple partners and never marry. They may have children from many different relationships. Sometimes a father is listed on a birth certificate, sometimes not. Many times, there can be several relationships in a lifetime, with no marriage certificates for any. Let’s face it, there are many more variables today when defining a family then our ancestors could even imagine.<br />
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I am not here to pass judgement on any of these relationships. However, as a family historian, writing a family history book, I can attest to the fact that recording these relationships and noting their make-up is very important. Our genealogy programs today are limiting, and if we don’t take the time to record these families with truth, then future genealogists are surely going to be at a considerable disadvantage.<br />
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So as I read the article What is a Family? I am appreciative that society today is open to all families no matter what the make-up is. The fact that we can talk openly about the many blended families that make up our communities today is one advantage we have over the past. No longer are we so traditional, so strict in our thinking that families need to rewrite their stories, hide secrets and deny families’ members their identity.<br />
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However, we must also be responsible for recording these families properly. There will be a shortage of marriage certificates, proper censuses, completed birth certificates, that will define today’s families. They deserve to be recognized in history for the family unit that they are.<br />
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Eventually databases and software programs will catch up and give us the options to record them with accuracy. Quite possibly, even our census takers will record these records with truth, however until then, there will be a gap in our history and some families may get lost in the shuffle before our methods of recording catch up with the families of today. The next Canadian Census is in 2011 and there is a movement in place to insure that questions do not discriminate against same sex marriages. It will be interesting to see if our government, will rise to the challenge of ensuring today’s families are recorded and defined in history.<br />
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In the meantime, these special family units should look to their own resources, such as writing their own family history books, to insure that their family is recorded in history. Particularly those families of today and recent history, who have yet to be recorded in past censuses and have no marriage documents to define their relationships, they need to give serious thought to writing a family history book for their descendants.<a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank"></a>Step One in Creating Your Family History Booktag:www.genealogywise.com,2009-12-03:3463583:BlogPost:2103562009-12-03T20:24:23.000ZLynn Palermohttp://www.genealogywise.com/profile/LynnPalermo
Before entering into writing your family history book, one thing is key; organization. Hopefully, as you have been researching your ancestors leading up to writing your book, you have put an organizational system in place for your research. However, if you haven't, then it is still not too late to get organized. If your goal from the beginning has been to create a family history book then how you organize your research can aid in the writing of your book. If you haven't put a system in place…
Before entering into writing your family history book, one thing is key; organization. Hopefully, as you have been researching your ancestors leading up to writing your book, you have put an organizational system in place for your research. However, if you haven't, then it is still not too late to get organized. If your goal from the beginning has been to create a family history book then how you organize your research can aid in the writing of your book. If you haven't put a system in place prior to now, or your organization needs some revamping, then before you begin assembling and writing your book you first must start by organizing your information in a format that will serve your writing. Don't discount what purpose a little initial organization time can serve.<br />
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<b>Organizing Your Information Serves Several Purposes</b><br />
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• It will enable you to review all your information to decide exactly what the scope of your book will contain.<br />
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• You will be empowered to make several important decisions during the process of what is in an out of your book.<br />
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• The process of organizing your research will reveal holes in your research that you may wish to address before you begin.<br />
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• Organizing your information will save you valuable time when you begin the writing process.<br />
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• Organizing your information will provide you with multiple copies of your research providing a valuable back- up in case your files become corrupted.<br />
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• The organization of your documents and research serves to keep everything together for ease when writing your book.<br />
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The best system for organizing your work is one that works for you. Below are some helpful organizational points to consider if you are struggling to find that perfect system.<br />
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<b>Creating Your Digital Files</b><br />
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•Create files in word documents of all your notes. Start with a folder for each family surname, then create sub-folders in each file for each person, within those file folders keep notes and documents.<br />
•Consider keeping a separate folder in My Pictures for each family surname and again create sub-folders for each person or family group within that surname, depending on how many pictures you have accumulated. Try not to let your files get to big or you will waste valuable time searching for your documents.<br />
•Microsoft One Note is a great tool for your family history research. In OneNote you can create a notebook for each family surname. Within these notebooks you can copy articles you find on the web, photographs or Images from the Web and any related documents. Perhaps you have accumulate some notes through your digital library. OneNote will insert a reference link on the page so you can always return to the source. Microsoft OneNote makes a great working notebook for your family history research.<br />
•Remember to back-up all this information on a regular basis. Choose the same day every month, so for instance the first day of the month back-up these files to a CD or an external hard drive. You do not want to spend months or years working on your book only to have your computer crash and lose a years worth of work.<br />
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<b>Creating a Hard Copy Binder</b><br />
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•Next you want to create a binder of hard copies of all your information. Establish a binder for each family surname. Within this binder create a section for every major player. At the beginning of the binder, insert a pedigree chart, this establishes a quick outline of who is included in this book.<br />
• Behind each tab for each person keep scanned copies of all their documents, copies of census documents, birth certificates, marriage certificates etc.<br />
•You can also keep a clear plastic sleeve in each section to keep original documents, pictures anything you don't wish to put a whole, staple or paper clip on. These original documents can be moved after the completion of your book to a more secure long term location.<br />
•On the first page of each sub-section keep a quick overview or timeline of the events of this person's life, including children, marriages, etc.<br />
•You can also print off any research notes from the internet that you have accumulated in your One Notes workbook and insert them into these sections.<br />
Before you begin to make any major decisions about your family history book, I encourage you to organize your research so that you will have a much more enjoyable and productive experience.<br />
Lynn <a href="http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com" target="_blank"></a>