Let's Try This Again

For one reason or another I let this blog lapse. So now, on the 13th January 2013 I'm going to give it another shot.

I'm going to change the focus and record what I find in my really thorny rosebush. It's gotten completely out of hand and I've started reviewing everyone, cleaning up sources, adding sources, trying to remember where I found a piece of data.

A little background first.

My primary file is a Family Tree Maker 2012 database residing on my PC running Windows Vista. I've synchronized this to an Ancestry Member Tree (an extremely useful function now that most of the obvious kinks have been resolved). I only update my tree in Family Tree Maker. The only exception to this is when some generous soul has posted an image to their public tree and then I'll attach it to my tree and send them a little thank you note. Wouldn't it be great if we could "like" a person?

I use Family Tree Maker's Web Search function to add records from Ancestry to my database. I don't use all it's features preferring to search directly on Ancestry for the records I need. Other databases that I search have to be manually added, not a tremendous chore once you have done enough of them and feel comfortable with the software.

I'm working through my file in birth date sequence (I'm up to 1754 at the moment). For each person I'm reviewing the citations (if any), cleaning them up or adding them. If I'm missing any of the essentials (birth, baptism, marriage, death, burial) then I'll see if there is anything readily obtainable from databases I regularly use. If I can find children that I haven't got, I'll add them. I also take a look at the Ancestry Member Trees who have this person making a note of anything that looks useful.

To change things around a bit every so often I'll pick a person from my Ancestry tree that has hints and work through the hints. Then, when I've gone through everything that is readily available I'll add a Status Fact to that person and move on to the next. So far I've done 115 out of 4,448 people (2.5%!!).

I may finish this one day.