BCG – GenealogyAtHeart.com

Improving Your Genealogy Skills Semester II

Now that the holidays are behind us it’s time to look ahead and schedule some genealogy training. What would you like to learn more about this year? Maybe it’s finally understanding DNA or getting serious about writing that family history you keep putting off. Perhaps you’re stuck on a few lines and need some fresh ideas. Whatever you hope to learn, there are wonderful webinars that you can view in the comfort of your own home. Let’s start with the free ones first!

Legacy Family Trees 2017 offerings are now available and you can register for multiple webinars at once. It pays to register so you can get the syllabus. If something comes up and you can’t attend, no worries! The tape is available for the first week for free. The Board for Certification of Genealogists offers monthly webinars on the Legacy site, too, so don’t miss those offerings

Like to participate as you learn? Then become a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and take part in their upcoming discussions held via Go To Meeting. You are expected to be engaged either through your microphone or via chat. You can use your computer, tablet or phone to attend. Two sessions are available for each topic – one in the afternoon and one in the evening. In January, “Writing as You Go with Elissa Scalise Powell and Running a Successful APG Chapter with Lois Mackin” will be offered. February brings “Creating Genealogy Classes and Workshops with Lois Mackin.” The meetings are free but you must be a member of APG to attend. Visit APG for more details.

The National Genealogical Society Conference will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina May 10-13. Early Bird registration is now open via the NGS site. Don’t delay – the price to attend rises closer to the event.

Don’t want to travel far but love in person camaraderie and collaboration with other passionate genealogists? Then check out your local societies, libraries and archives for their offerings. In the Tampa Bay, Florida area, Thomas MacEntree recently held an interactive webinar through the Tampa public library and Lisa Marie Cook will be offering workshops at the Largo library in February.

Rather work on your own? Then purchase a workbook and pace yourself. Mastering Genealogical Proofs by Tom Jones is available via Kindle or Paperback on Amazon. Also on Amazon is Blaine Bettinger’s Genetic Genealogy in Practice. If you’re an NGS member, check out the site for a discount on both.

It never ceases to amaze me that I learn something new from every class I take. Additionally, I learn a bunch from reading and writing blogs. A few days ago, I was the guest blogger for AncestorCloud so check out Using S.M.A.R.T.’s to Crystallize Your Genealogy Goals. Happy Hunting!

My Certification as a Genealogist Decision is…

that I did not receive certification. Two judges said yes and one, no. My portfolio went to a fourth judge for arbitration who agreed with the no – insufficient for certification.
I was looking forward to the rubric results but I’m a little confused by them. For example, on the ratings for a Case Study, Judge 1 said I partially met 5 standards and 2 standards were undetermined. Judge 2 said I met all the standards and Judge 3 said I met 5 standards and partially met 2. That’s a wide disagreement!
Further clarification regarding the ratings is also given. That, too, varies greatly from judge to judge. Judge 1 wrote “…Court proceedings’ information is described as “secondary” and the hospital admission information as ‘firsthand.’ When informants and their ability to know facts are unknown, information can only be considered as ‘undetermined.’ (Standard 36)” I agree but I knew and wrote who provided the information; the hospital information was given by the subject of the Case Study as she signed the document and the court information was provided by her sister, who was named and attested she was the sister.
Judge 2 did not include any comments about the Case Study. Judge 3 wrote, “…Research extends to commonly used sources and the use of hospital and court records for [subject’s] insanity hearing and institutionalization is well done…”
All 3 rubric results follow this same pattern for the remaining portfolio submissions.
I don’t think the Genealogical Standards are subjective. I’m unclear, though, how I received ratings and comments with such variance all based on the same Standards.
I was hoping that the rubric would benefit my growth as a genealogist because I don’t know what I don’t know. Instead, I’m left with trying to determine what I’d improve upon. One judge noted, “…There are minor capitalization and punctuation differences between the original and the transcription…The research plan demonstrates awareness of commonly used record groups; however, attempting to anticipate all contingencies at the outset interferes with efficient focus…” while another stated, “The document is accurately transcribed and abstracted, background is carefully described, and a thorough research plan is proposed.” So, did I make a thorough research plan or not? I have no idea.
I thought about posting all but the BCG supplied document on my website, genealogyatheart.com, but decided it might not be a good idea as three of the entries were generated for clients and there is a lot of personal information included. I did have permission from all of them to use for the portfolio but posting online is another matter. I also thought about posting the rubrics but I don’t know how that would benefit anyone without seeing the portfolio.
In reflecting on almost the past two years since I decided to pursue certification I think the process was worth it. I did spend a lot of time away from my family and I’m not ready to do that again. For now, I won’t be reapplying any time soon. I plan on continuing to research, write and learn. Maybe I’ll change my mind some day but for now, that’s my plan and I’m good.

A Transcription Treat

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 22 Dec 2015.

Tis the season of Sugar Plum Fairies and although I can’t prove it, I believe they are somehow related to Genealogical Fairies. Here’s why –

For some reason, I didn’t receive the document from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) that I am supposed to transcribe. After waiting 3 weeks I emailed and was told the day it had been sent. BCG staff was going to resend if I didn’t receive it by the end of that week.

Nearly a month after it had been mailed it finally arrived with no postal markings and it looked like it had gotten stuck in a machine as a side was torn. The contents, though, were fine. Since it arrived the day before I was to fly out to the west coast for business I put it aside until this week.

Last Friday, I decided I would drive to the county mentioned in the document on Monday and locate the original so I called to check the time the office would open. With holiday closures one never knows! This led to several phone calls and messages left.

I received a call mid day Saturday informing me that the office would be closed Monday but they would be open on Saturday until 5:00. I was running errands but dropped everything to drive the 2+ hours to get there before they closed. I am so glad I did!

When I arrived there were only 2 people staffing the archives, a paid employee and a volunteer. After seeing the document and photographing it, the volunteer asked me why I had wanted to see that particular record. I told her about the certification process. We continued talking and she mentioned her home state which happened to also be mine. Turns out we’re related in 3 lines (Lamphere, Kuhn and Duer) through our great grandfathers! If you’re a faithful reader you know I wasn’t close to my dad’s side growing up and have never met any of his relatives so this meeting was especially sweet.

What makes it even better is the lesson that persistence pays! My first call was to the courthouse but I was told by the operator that they didn’t have old records and I needed to call a different office. The next office staffer told me that all of their records were online and the originals had been destroyed. When I pointed out that the record I was looking for wasn’t online the clerk didn’t know what to say. She suggested I called the historical society. The first person I spoke with there said she had no idea where the record I needed was and she would have someone call me back. I waited a few hours and called again. That’s when I learned she had left for the day. The person I was then speaking with told me that the historical society only had microfilm and that the originals were at the courthouse. I asked who I should speak with at the courthouse as that was now bringing me full circle because that’s where I first called. She suggested I check with the records department. Unfortunately, the records clerk had to check with an older employee as she had no idea what I was talking about. The older employee wanted to know why a fortune teller wanted the record. Huh?! Evidently the girl I spoke with didn’t know what a genealogist was and thought it was some kind of fortune teller. Clearly I’m not a fortune teller or I would have knowledge of where I’d find this record! We both laughed about the misunderstanding. We left it that I would come on Monday at 8 AM but I should be prepared that the record wouldn’t be found.

I packed what I needed in my purse in preparation but wasn’t particularly hopeful. When I got the call on Saturday that the record was available I couldn’t believe it. That alone would have made my day but to meet a relative who just happened to switch her volunteer hours due to the holidays, well, I think this was meant to be.

I’m on my way to the post office to mail my new found relative copies of my records and then on to the airport to pick up family so I’m posting my Thursday blog early. Wishing you and your family love, hope and good cheer this holiday season!

12+ More Genealogical Gems to Use

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com on 20 Dec 2015.

Last post was my 12 most favorite free genealogy sites and today is my 12 favorite paid sites. I have placed these in alphabetical order and not by preference:

1. Ancestry.com – since they own just about everything in the genealogical world it’s very hard not to subscribe to them. I do have issues with their new website, phantom hints, relationship help that comes and goes, removal of records and not adding new databases but for now, I still use them. Just learned there is an AARP discount and I will be going after that when I renew in 2 months. Complete access is $389.00 per year. OUCH!

2, Association of Professional Genealogists – “an international organization dedicated to supporting those engaged in the business of genealogy through advocacy, collaboration, education, and the promotion of high ethical standards.” Subscribers are $45.00 annually, Professional Members $100.00. Well worth it for the webinars, journal and eNewsletter! Additionally, members get discounts to many paid sites.

3, Board for Certification of Genealogists – Even if you have no desire to become a Certified Genealogist this site is valuable! Check out the Skillbuilding, Work Samples and Genealogy Standards which are free. If you decide to become certified, the cost is $75.00 initially, followed by $300.00 when your portfolio is submitted (1 year deadline).

4. FindMyPast.com – Similar to Ancestry with different records. Cost varies depending on plan purchased. I got a year free due to being a member the National Genealogical Society but it would have cost me $99.95. Since I’ve had trouble uploading my tree I won’t be purchasing this anytime soon but it was nice for a year.

5. Fold3.com – an ancestry.com owned site, currently I’m not a member but I join periodically. For military history it’s a must have. If you’re an ancestry member it’s currently $39.95 a year – half the regular price. So maybe, I’ll upgrade….

6. JStor – is a digital library with books and journals (about 1700) that are intellectual in nature. Many libraries and educational institutions are members so check out if you get an alumni password. If not, some access is free (but not much) and you can purchase an article if you have to, cost varies.

7. New England Historicand Genealogical Society – the database, AmericanAncestors.org is free, however, if you are planning to visit the library in Boston, it is not free. This is a nonprofit organization that also offers research assistance (for an additional fee but discounted), an awesome magazine, journal, weekly email update and seminars. Well worth it for $89.95 a year.

8. National Genealogical Society – the journal, the magazine, the conference, the discounts, the store – wow, that’s a lot of genealogy goodness. Annual membership is $65.00.

9, Radaris – the place to find the living! “Radaris is a universal people directory and an information indexing system about people.” Trying to find long lost cousin Joe – this site will help. If you just want a report it will cost .95. Premium memberships can cost up to $49.95 per MONTH. I only purchase a report if I’m desperate as I usually can find people through other methods – Facebook, Linkedin, etc.

10, Spokeo – a more inexpensive way to find the missing – A 6 month membership is $4.95 per month. They do offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee that I’ve never tried so I can’t attest to what that offer is. I don’t currently belong to this, either, but I’ve gleaned info from this site to help me locate free information in the past.

11 Your Local Genealogy Society – because you need to hang out with people who get excited about your finds. Mine offers trainings and research help for novices. Cost is $17.00 a year.

12. Your State Genealogy Society – or whichever state your ancestors’ resided. My state offers a wonderful journal, newsletter, links to sites around my state, posting for help and webinars. For $25.00 a year it’s the best deal around!

Bonus – The sites mentioned above are not the only for pay genealogy sites around but the ones I use the most. Every couple of years I join newspaperarchive.com but until they add some new newspapers, I’ve maxed them out. I would highly recommend them, though, if you haven’t ever been a member.

Yikes! I totaled the amount and I’ve spent $776.85 this year. Guess when I retire Ancestry will be accessed only from the library.

An Update on Submitting the BCG Portfolio

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 22 May 2016

I’m finishing up with my portfolio for submission to the Board for Certification of Genealogists and I have butterflies in my stomach! Officially, I have until late October but since I selected several papers that I had previously done for clients last fall and winter, I am about finished.

At the National Genealogical Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, I was able to view successful portfolios that were submitted. I also found it useful to be able to pick the brains of some of the Certified Genealogists (CGs) that attended the “On the Clock” dinner. So glad I was able to attend and meet several other “On the Clockers” and those on the other side.

Additionally, the National Genealogical Society conference enabled me to further refine my skills and now I pulled out the Kinship Determination Paper I finished last month and reread it yesterday. I caught one missing comma and changed one sentence. I’m satisfied with the content and the numbering so I just need to take another look at my footnotes. I had bolded a few that I knew weren’t quite right as I was so into the writing I didn’t want to stop and lose the momentum. I also need to make sure I’ve been consistent with my citations. The next few weeks I’m busy with other tasks so I probably won’t revisit it until mid-June.

I’m still uncertain if I should hold off portfolio submission until after an upcoming trip to DC this summer or not. On the one hand, I want to submit before I get extremely busy with my full time job in late July. On the other hand, I have this nagging feeling that the missing record in Pennsylvania will miraculously show up if I look one more time. The document was supposedly misfiled in the 1960’s and hasn’t been found since. Why in the world I think if I look again I’ll find it now I don’t know! I’ve already looked twice over the past 5 years AND hired someone to try to find it. Clearly the “3^rd time’s the charm!” as my mom used to say didn’t happen and a fourth visit would be beyond reasonably exhaustive. My thought process is bordering on irrational and I realize that. This certainly is like the tongue in cheek meaning of insanity – doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result!

Reflecting on my behavior I see this as déjà vu – I did the same thing when I was ready to submit my portfolio to the National Board of Certified Teachers several years ago. One morning I woke up and I knew that there was no more I could do so I just packed it all up and mailed it off. Even so, I stood in Office Depot and just stared at the box. The clerk was nice, though I’m sure she thought I was nuts. She told me to take as long as I wanted. As soon as she said that, I was able to let it go.

Now I have to decide if I’m going to send it snail mail or electronically. Decisions, decisions! Another way to procrastinate finality! Will keep you informed…

Learning Patience as I complete by KDP

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 31 March 2016

Spring Break has come and gone and I didn’t make my goal of having the rough draft of my Kinship Determination Project (KDP) completed. I’m not complaining, though, as three events occurred that threw me into a tizzy!

First, less than a month ago, I received 30+ years of a diary written by the sister-in-law of one of the individuals I’m writing about. It is a genealogical gold mine! After reading and rereading I took notes based on individuals and then by types of events. Spent the last three weeks incorporating the information into the KDP as it was quite useful and enhanced the paper. Long term plan is to create an index of the diary for future use.

Second, our desktop system bit the dust. I had my work saved in numerous places so that wasn’t awful but instead of a double screen I was back using (and sharing) an old laptop. Really slowed the process down.

Last, I had changed my mind about taking a trip during my week’s vacation and instead, I had decided to spend that week working on the paper. Plans changed when my husband fell off the roof. Miraculously, he’s fine, however, we spent the week quite differently than expected.

Since he’s okay, a co-worker’s son was able to recover the data on our crashed system and the new information I added gave the paper more character, I’m fine with not meeting my goal. My revised plan was to finish by the end of March, put it away for the month of April, check out the portfolios that will be available at the upcoming NGS conference in Ft. Lauderdale, revise through June and after taking one more trip through the archives to make sure that I left no stone unturned, submit in July. Well, it’s the last day of the month and I’m not done. I’m still waiting for six records to arrive that apply to the last generation. Have to read through about 100 handwritten letters that are 100 years old to mine for details. New goal is mid April completion. That’s only obtainable if I work all day the next 3 weekends, spend at least 2 hours a night during the week AND get the records. Genealogy is definitely a study in patience!

The Kinship Determination Project and Its Emotional Impact

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 24 Jan 2016

The Kinship Determination Project, aka KDP, has been looming as the last requirement I need to complete before submitting my portfolio for analysis to become a Certified Genealogist. I had started writing before I submitted my application but in November, a few weeks into being “on the clock,” I rewrote most of it. I changed from end notes to footnotes so the judges would have an easier time tracking citations, I wrote for many needed documents to give a more thorough look at the individuals’ lives. I added additional background data, too much, in fact, which I removed yesterday. Not to worry, it’s full of very interesting stories of the ancestors I’ll be focusing on later so I’m keeping it safe for another project. I think that it was good to start 3 generations prior to the 3 generations I’m focusing on as it gave me a better perspective of my main characters’ lives. We often become who we are because of the influence of our parents, grandparents and perhaps, our great grandparents.

Back in the day, meaning when submitting more than 3 families was permitted, my paper would have been fine but I’m trying to stick to the application guide. I had viewed Judy Russell’s webinar, “Kinship Determination: From Generation to Generation” which is free to view on the BCG site (click Skillbuilding, then click Webinars, then scroll down.) I loved Judy’s passion about her project! I share that passion when I start analyzing the evidence I’ve accumulated; the humanness behind the paper record is revealed and I begin to understand what occurred in their lives. Sometimes it’s something personal from my own life that I can relate to and sometimes, not. Makes me wonder how I would have reacted if the event had happened to me.

I just reread what I wrote about the first generation and I’ve very excited. I didn’t quite finish that first generation individual’s life but plan on doing so today after my company leaves. I want to get back into the story as there were two twists of compassion that I hadn’t known existed prior to analyzing the records. Although I can’t share much due to the requirement of submission, I will say that those tick marks on early census returns come alive when you attach a name to them. Pondering why you have extra marks is important – was their a child or two that died prior to being revealed in later censuses or other documents? Did other family members, an apprentice, an indentured servant, or a neighbor reside with the family the day the census was being enumerated? Did the family provide the enumerator misinformation, meaning the missing son was marked as a daughter or did the enumerator err? That’s a lot to think about and oftentimes, later records will help explain what was happening in the household.

The impact on a child when there’s a change in a household unit is important to consider. When community influences and national events occur there are additional effects. Such was the case with my generation 1. Now I think I better understand why the individual exemplified compassion, an interest in politics and education, and safety for future generations.

What really struck me was discovering that three of the siblings of the individual I’m focusing on relocated in the mid 19th century across the continent. I can’t imagine the anguish that must have been felt when communication was cut off. Strangely, I happened to visit 2 of the 3 places that the siblings had moved to this past year. I even blogged about one of the buildings in the town that I visited. Most likely, that building played an important role in the lives of the sibling’s children! It was such a strange feeling when the realization hit. I began to wonder how many times I’ve walked in the footsteps of my ancestors and never known it. It’s one thing to purposely go to a location you’ve discovered to visit. I’ve dragged my family on many vacations to visit homes where prior family members resided, ports they disembarked and battlefields where they were injured but I’ve never had the experience of visiting a place, feeling quite at home there, writing about it and then discovering months later that there was more of a connection then I was aware of at the time.

Today, I hope to make more headway on the KDP as next week, I’ll be traveling for business and won’t be able to work on it. My new goal is to try to get the draft complete by the end of February as I may be making a trip to obtain a few documents during my spring break.

I hope your week is filled with wonderful discoveries!

Becoming a Certified Genealogist – An Update

A FABULOUS FIND of 15 Jan 2016

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 13 Jan 2016

The clock is still ticking and now that we’re in the new year I’ve got less than 10 months to submit my portfolio requirements. I actually accomplished way more than I thought I would during the holidays. My family kids me that I must be channeling the dead. I don’t know about that but I certainly had some awesome finds that propelled me forward. Here’s where I am and what I have to do:

1. Preliminary application was submitted in October 2015 – DONE

2. Signing the Genealogist’s Code – that’s easy!

3. Background Resume – completed but needs to be reviewed and possibly updated right before submission – Almost Done

4. Document Work – BCG Supplied and Applicant Supplied. All transcribed and written, just need to review and make a final edit. – Almost Done

5. Research Report prepared for another person – started this in late December. This was unexpected but I loved the hunt so decided to switch what I originally had planned to submit that was already finished. Completed the newly started report on December 31st and gave it to client on January 4th – DONE

6. Case Study – used a client’s second report I was working on instead of what I had originally thought I was going to do. I finished it over the holidays with some wonderful documents that simply showed up! Wish I could share this with you – a real twist and turn type of case. – Almost Done (haven’t given it to client yet but have appointment scheduled)

7. Kinship Determination KDP- have a great start but didn’t work on it much in the past month. I’m still assembling documents and my problem is I don’t live anywhere close to the areas that the family lived. I’m planning on a trip in March to one of the states but that still leaves me with a hole on the east coast and I wasn’t planning on being close to that area until July. So, it’ll be slow going with this item. I figure, unless a miracle occurs, I won’t be done with this until September and will just make the deadline but who knows? I put the rest of the requirements together in a much quicker time period than I planned so maybe this will come together, too. KDP 1/3 Done

In hindsight, I’m glad that I had a skeletal idea of what I would be submitting before I actually committed to the process. I’m also thankful that I took the webinar about what certification entails so I had clear expectations of what was expected.

Here’s an update on my 2 past blogs regarding Ancestry.com and member family tree’s that reported a co-worker’s mother as deceased when she isn’t – I received an email from Ancestry staff on Monday directing me to have the deceased email them with her request to correct the records and to provide Ancestry with the URL’s of the trees. I pulled the URL info and included it with the forwarded email to my co-worker who sent it off to her mom. I was impressed that Ancestry responded so quickly, especially after the phone conversations I had with their support staff. I didn’t think there was going to be any resolution! I’m also very pleased that Ancestry stayed true to their confidentiality statement and understood how the problem impacted the affected family. Kudos to Ancestry!

Lost Mail May Be A Genealogical Gem Someday

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 6 Dec 2015

Don’t know if you saw the recent article about undelivered mail found in an old trunk. When I say old, I mean really old – as in 17th Century. You can read about it at A Postal ‘piggybank’.

We have terrible US Mail service, receiving several pieces of mail a week that don’t belong to us. It makes me wonder how much I don’t receive.

If it was junk mail I wouldn’t care but it’s been affecting important correspondence lately. The most recent “lost” mail was from the Board of Certified Genealogy (BCG) with a much needed portfolio requirement enclosed. Thank goodness I was notified via email the first week in November that I would be receiving a packet with a document to transcribe within 2 weeks. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday I gave it extra time – 3 weeks – but it still didn’t come. I contacted BCG and they verified it was mailed to my address on November 14th. They will resend if I don’t receive it by week’s end.

In the past, I’ve spoken in person to my Postmaster who shrugged his shoulders when I tried to find out what happened to the last important piece of mail that never arrived back in June. He told me that the mail service doesn’t guarantee delivery. Clearly! My son had sent a time important document within the state as certified, return receipt requested and it had been lost. Postmaster said they’d put a tracer on it but that was it. I thought the barcode scans were a way to trace but obviously they aren’t very useful. That document was found in the wrong city and arrived a month later, way past the deadline needed. No explanation as to why it was in the wrong city. No apology, either. Since it was found and eventually delivered we were told that we couldn’t get a refund on the postage because again, “there’s no guarantee” mail will be delivered in the time frame that is posted in the Post Office.

Since there’s nothing I can personally do (except avoid using snail mail as much as possible) to insure my letters are delivered I’m seriously considering sending my portfolio to BCG electronically.

I also have had the thought that just maybe, in 400 years, the BCG letter will arrive and it will make an interesting new story. Don’t know if there’s an explanation in the envelope explaining why it was being sent but if not, it will have created a mystery as to why a copy of an old record was mailed to someone. My poor future relatives will be all confused as to how we’re related to the individual and perhaps spend time trying to make a connection.

Bet you’re like me and love to solve genealogical mysteries, not create them. If so, read this article

in the New England Historic Genealogical Society weekly newsletter as it’s equally important that we leave our stories for our descendants. Happy Hunting!

The Genealogical Clock Timer Has Been Set…

A FABULOUS FIND of 22 November 2015

Originally published on genealogyatheart.blogspot.com 12 Nov 2015

I received via email notification last Friday that my Certified Genealogist preliminary application was received. Hooray! I immediately accepted the invite to join the Google+ candidate group, downloaded and printed the FAQ and 1st month recommendations attached to the email, texted family and friends and after the excitement passed, realized I have a lot to accomplish in a little time! Actually, 11 months and 2 weeks until the portfolio is due. Since I travel for business once a month I lose a lot of time so I have to develop a workable plan to meet the deadline.

I reviewed the suggested timeline before submitting the application and thought it best if I worked on one portfolio requirement in depth during each of my upcoming school breaks – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring and then using my earned vacation time since I work 12 months to complete anything left to do. That plan was great in theory but as the holidays approach I realized it wasn’t going to work. I’m the go to house for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s meaning I’m having family stay with me.

My revised plan is to write on one day on the weekend, do nothing on Monday, reread whatever I wrote on Tuesday, edit Wednesday and Thursday, do nothing on Friday and begin the process all over again the next weekend working on one portfolio requirement at a time. That’s how I accomplished the portfolio when I submitted it for National Board Certified Teacher so I think that’s the approach I’ll take again.

Last weekend I decided to get organized. I always tell my students to have all the supplies they need readily available to minimize wasted study time so I attempted to practice what I preach. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well. Last month hubby and I decided to move some furniture around between the kids’ old bedrooms. When we became empty nesters our grand plan was to have one room be a home office and the other, a craft/exercise/guest room. We selected the smaller, darker room for the office but it doesn’t work with both of us in there and the lighting is not good on our old eyes so now we’ve decided to flip flop rooms. Then we realized that the smaller room really won’t work for crafts or exercise and it should just be a guest room. We get a lot of family visitors (sometimes I think I’m running a bed and breakfast for free!) and if it’s being used by a guest, we wouldn’t be able to work on crafts or exercise so the larger room will have to have work space for craft projects, besides a research area and enough room to work out.

In hindsight, this is a terrible time to make this change with the genealogical clock running. I thought it wouldn’t be that much of a problem to purchase furniture that would work for us but I’m not liking most of what I see. Seriously considering getting 2 glass computer desks with a corner connector for the printer/scanner/copier and a table. I’m over laminate top desks that look great initially but fall apart quickly. I don’t like the prices of solid wood desks and most aren’t designed for flexibility. Hubby loves his desktop system and I’m a tablet and laptop girl. So for now, I’m between the old desk set up and spreading out on the dining room table which isn’t going to work with the holidays fast approaching.

Last weekend I re-read and printed all the Skillbuilders on the Board for Certification of Genealogists site. I strongly recommend taking a look at the Skillbuilders if you haven’t ever done so. They’re brief but powerful reminders of effective practice. You can check them out here. I put the copies in a binder in the order I need to refer to them as I work through the portfolio. I tabbed the binder by the various portfolio requirements and included a copy of the submission requirements and rubric so I can remain focused. I like everything in one place so I don’t waste time looking up processes when I’m in the writing mindset.

I had previously printed and assembled all of my research notes and records for the families I’m going to be writing about so it was easy to include this in the binder. I’ve started the Kinship Determination Project, identified what I’m using for the Applicant Supplied Document, and have accumulated a lot of info on the Research Report Prepared For Another Person (but haven’t started writing it yet).

I’m still torn about the Case Study. What I really wanted to do would make me change the Applicant Supplied Document because you are limited in portfolio submissions to one per family. I could change the Applicant Supplied Document but the backup would make me change the Kinship Determination Project and I’ve already begun writing that and am happy with the line I selected. Decisions, decisions!

The introductory email mentioned I’d be receiving the final application in 2 weeks. I have a business trip scheduled for this weekend but I happen to be going to a destination that I can research during off times I’m happy I can still keep up with the planned schedule.

I previously wrote the resume and updated it over the past week. Will have to do that again several times, maybe quarterly, until I’m ready to submit. While I’m off for Thanksgiving I hope to have completed a very rough draft of the Kinship Determination Project (KDP). I re-read what I wrote a few months ago and hated it! I started a rewrite on Saturday, put it away til yesterday and when I reread it I was pleased as it was in the direction I wanted to go. For me the KDP is the most formidable portfolio entry so I’m tackling it first. I’ll be so glad when that’s done.

Next I plan on working on the Research Report as I may have to travel within the state to obtain additional records. I can do that during Christmas break around the family visits. I’d like to have that done by the end of February.

In the back of my mind I’ll keep thinking about who I should chose for the Case Study and I’ll spend March and April working on that project. Since I might need to request additional records I may have to flip to working on the Applicant and Board Supplied Documents. Will see.

Hopefully, by late summer I’ll have everything near completion and then I can spend 2 months editing towards the final product. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and if I miss a blog posting or two, send good thoughts my way ’cause you’ll know I’m hard at work on the portfolio 😉