{"id":2229,"date":"2023-01-21T14:38:54","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T14:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2023-02-18T16:44:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T16:44:20","slug":"2023-genealogy-to-dos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=2229","title":{"rendered":"2023 Genealogy To-Do’s"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Courtesy of Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019m not one for making New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I think about tasks I\u2019d like to complete, improve upon, or try out. If you need some ideas to jump-start your genealogy this year here goes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Organize \u2013 During the colder months it\u2019s always a good time to go through your accumulated family paraphernalia. You may have an \u201cah-ha\u201d moment and get a clue for further research. If you scan your items, you\u2019ll get extra security knowing the record resides in more than one location.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Research \u2013 Go through your family tree and make a list of items you are missing, such as the burial location or marriage place of an ancestor. You can use the notes section of the software program you are using or save it in a Word document by location. That way, if you happen to visit the area in the upcoming year, you\u2019ll know what you need to research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reach Out \u2013 Connect with far-flung families either online or by snail mail. It\u2019s easy to find a family by seeing who else has your ancestors in their public trees. Then, look for them on Facebook or contact the family to see if they might have a way to reach the individuals. You never know who may have important family information until you ask.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Explore \u2013 The world is reopening so if you\u2019ve put off a long-planned trip to an ancestral town, now\u2019s the time to visit it. I was disappointed to learn that an earthquake had devastated my maternal\u2019s side cemetery in Europe. If I had been able to go as planned in 2020 I would have been able to see it as it was when my ancestors lived in the area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Gain New Ideas \u2013 read a journal or magazine that you didn\u2019t previously subscribe to. Check out the prior years’ indexes to see if the surname you\u2019re researching was mentioned. Many can be viewed for free from your local library or through Kindle. Even if you don\u2019t find your family mentioned, techniques you might not have tried may be mentioned that can help you get over your brick wall.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Add On \u2013 look over your tree and add missing spouses or children. Search for a marriage record to unveil a woman\u2019s maiden name then check out other trees who may have listed her. Look at census records and church records to find more children for the couple.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Keep Growing \u2013 identify an area you are uncomfortable with. Perhaps it is a location or time period you don\u2019t have much knowledge about. Check out Wikipedia, Youtube, your local library, or reach out to a genealogy or historical society that specializes in the information you need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Document Today! \u2013 Today is tomorrow\u2019s history. Begin a journal, upload the photos from your phone and make sure they are saved, and update your tree with any special events (marriages\/new births\/deaths, etc.) that may have occurred in the past year. Trust me, you won\u2019t remember the graduation date in a few years so record it now while it\u2019s still in your calendar and fresh in your mind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Future Plan \u2013 Are you the keeper of the family archives? If so, do you have them stored effectively? In case of emergency, will they be protected? Who will you bequeath them to one day? Now\u2019s the time to make decisions on how you\u2019ll preserve for the future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Enjoy the Moment \u2013 Family history can be frustrating, a study in patience, and expensive. All the more reason to celebrate your great find. If you\u2019ve been searching for a deed, will, or DNA connection and you discover it this year, definitely take a moment to savor the find. Do a happy dance, share with those who understand, or simply cry. Yep, cry. Tears of joy are a great release and you deserve it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Here’s to 2023 \u2013 health, happiness, and historical finds!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019m not one for making New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I think about tasks I\u2019d like to complete, improve upon, or try out. If you need some ideas to jump-start your genealogy this year here goes: Here’s to 2023 \u2013 health, happiness, and historical finds!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[454,200,1022],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tips","tag-organization","tag-research","tag-scanning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2229"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2240,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions\/2240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}