Status

The Paperless Genealogy Quest Continues

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Well it has been over a month now and my (mostly) paperless genealogy quest continues!  I am continuing to use my phone with my evernote, ancestry, and remember the milk apps.  I carry my phone with me pretty much everywhere now.  I love it!  I have still maintained most of my progress.

I am continuing to process the many, many, many hints on my Ancestry Family Tree.  Every time I process one person’s hints it seems that I add more people and more hints!

I am continuing with my projects to organize the files on my external drive and process the huge backlog of emails that I have.

Friday night I took a break and went to the Montgomery Gentry Concert.  It was a wonderful evening!  They put on a great show!

Kellie

 

Status

My Paperless Genealogist Quest Continues

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It has now been three weeks since I began my paperless quest!  It is still going well! 

I am continuing to use my new phone for many, many things I used to need paper to do.  I am still using my phone for my to do list.  I use the android app for remember the milk.  I still use my phone for many of my notes using the android app for evernote.  I am also using my phone frequently for specific genealogy tasks as well.  I am still using Family Tree Maker 2012 for my main genealogy program.  I have found that I like using the online tree to edit most of the time.  I especially use it for adding the personal family tree information.  I use my laptop with FTM2012 for adding photos and other images and then sync to the online tree. 

I have made significant progress on my tree in the past few days.  I now have 2347 people in my tree.  I started with about 540 people a few weeks ago.  I also have over 1990 records attached to those people.  My tree also includes 1663 photos and 121 stories or notes attached to those people.  I have over 8087 hints to process on my tree.  Every time I clear off a few hints, I get more added as I add in my family, especially when adding the family tree hints that add new people to the tree!

I progressed over the weekend in becoming more organized!  I went through my many thousands of files on my external drive that I use for backup.  I eliminated many of those files.  I had files that were almost 15 years old!  I decided to just get rid of those old files!  I am going to get organized.  Tonight, I am going to work on getting rid of at least part of my old emails.  I am using a program called imapsize to import my old emails into my gmail emails.  This will allow me to have access my emails from wherever I am.  Using the “cloud” for all my files is slowly becoming a reality for me. 

With my new phone, I am slowly becoming much more paperless but also much more organized and much more productive because I can get things done wherever I am!  In fact, I am once again writing this post on my phone because I can now write my posts faster with the swype keyboard and method of entry than I can type!  Also, I seem to think better when I am writing on my phone than when I am typing on my computer. 

More to come next week!

Kellie

Status

My Paperless Genealogist Quest Update

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Well, my quest to become a paperless genealogist continues this week.  I have begun the process and so far, I like the results!  I have added several documents to my genealogy files by photographing them with the camera on my phone and then adding them to my ancestry tree through the app on my phone.  I have also started adding in my all my photos to my family tree. 

I have started going through my boxes and digitizing all my files and I am only going to keep those papers that are original documents and photos.  All of the many, many computer printouts and copies are being recycled.  I am reclaiming the space in my house!! 

The few documents that are original documents are being placed in scrapbooks in page protectors.  I am going to have these scrapbooks on display on my coffee table so that when anyone comes to my home they can freely look at these documents and remember our family history.  I especially like this part for my niece and nephews.  Most aren’t really interested in “genealogy”, but they do like to look at the photos of our family and here about our memories of the people who would be their great grandparents and 2nd great grandparents.

The process is somewhat slow because as I go through each box/folder I am making sure that the information is entered in my genealogy file before I out the original documents in the scrapbooks or recycle the paper from the copies and printouts.

I am currently using family tree maker 2012 so my family tree is now syncing to an online tree.  That gives me one backup to my family tree information.  Then, I am storing the file for family tree maker in my dropbox folder so that gives me two backups to my file. 

Since I have my tree set to be private so that only people I invite to my tree can view it I am adding in all my family information without worrying about privacy concerns too much.

My file is growing by leaps and bounds too.  I have been using the ancestry hints to help me to get my information quickly into FTM2012.

I know that a lot of genealogists are critical of ancestry’s trees with the hints.  However, I find them to be useful in helping me to remember to look for all the different types of records for my ancestors.

Also, they give me quick little research goals that I can accomplish with a measure of success that help to keep me enjoying the research process!  The little leaves for hints just somehow make the process a little more fun!

I also use the ancestry member trees as a large part of my research process.  I usually look at the trees hints first and add in the family members. Then, I go back to the hints or to search the records to find the documentation on my ancestors. 

I don’t accept every tree hint and I have found quite a few that had wrong confections made, but I have also had good luck with many of them by guiding me to look for records that I might never have found otherwise.  For instance, I had through family information that my great great grandmother on the Thompson side if the family was Arepha Waggonner.  She was married to William Thompson.  I tried for years to find some documentation of this theory, but I could find nothing to provide me with any documentation of her maiden name.  Them, I saw an ancestry tree that showed her with a first marriage to a John Cunningham.  I was then able to find her marriage record to my Great great grandfather William Thompson with her last name listed as Cunningham.  Then I found her marriage record to John Cunningham that provided her maiden name of Waggonner.  Without the hint from the tree, I don’t know if I ever would have found the proof of her maiden name!

If any of my family members would like an invitation to my online ancestry tree drop me an email and I will send you the invitation.  If you were invited to the tree more than a couple of months ago you will need a new invitation because I deleted the old tree when I was trying other software for my genealogy research.  At least for now,  I am very satisfied with my new research methodology and expect to stay with this tree for my research for a long time to come.  Also if anyone would like to share any family photos or stories please email them to me and I will include them on the family tree.  If you aren’t comfortable emailing them, maybe we could get together sometime and I could copy them with my camera and them I could add them to the tree.

New additions this past week to the tree have included several family groups being added on practically all of the family lines.  I added in about five hundred family photos and documents including the minister credentials for my 3rd great grandfather James Madison Stout as well as a couple of handwritten letters.  Neither of the letters were written by him as they were letters written to him but the one from L. W. Thompson has several Bible scripture references on it and Grandma Gwen Stout Thompson told me that they were written by him as he was preparing for sermons!  (For those concerned, any actual documents written by our ancestors are not being destroyed in my paperless quest!  These would be maintained in the scrapbooks.  I am not sure that I have these particular documents though as I added these from my collection of previously digitized records.  Grandma let me scan many of her papers before she died and I would scan them and return the originals. )

I am also continuing the paperless quest in all the other areas of my life.  I am still loving my new phone!! It its allowing me to keep my to do lists on my phone along with all my notes!  I now have the information to get stuff done wherever I am at the moment without having to carry a large suitcase with me wherever I go!  For those of you that know me it will come as a shock but I am now only carrying a small purse! 

I feel more in control of my life by having all of my info with me.  I am getting in the habit of putting everything I need to remember in my phone.  It is sometimes difficult for me to stop and take a moment to put it in the phone but I am experiencing many benefits from having everything I need to know in one place!  I don’t always feel like I am forgetting something important!  I am also able to concentrate more knowing what I need to get done, everything that I need to get done, and that I am making the correct choice in what I am doing at the time.  When I  decide it is time to relax I can actually relax knowing that I have the things I need to take care of listed and a plan to take care of them made, so I don’t need to be constantly thinking about how to get everything done!!

More to come next week!

Kellie

Status

Research Updates

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I have been very busy the past few weeks so I haven’t gotten much accomplished on my genealogy.  I have however made a few changes in my life which I hope will allow me to have more time for my genealogy research .

The first of the changes I have made believe it or not was to get a new phone.  The new phone is allowing me to be amazingly more productive! For instance,  I am writing this blog post on my phone.  I have also been able to convert my to do list and notetaking to my phone so that I will have all my notes and information with me wherever I am.  I have only had the phone a few days but it has made a tremendous difference in that short time!

I have also went back to using Gtd as my method of keeping organized.  This method combined with my success in getting everything into my phone will allow me to know that I am getting done what needs to be done and to stop thinking all the time about everything that I need to get done.  I will know it is in my gtd system and will come up and remind me to get it done on time so I don’t have to keep my mind busy reminding myself of all the things I need to get done.

I have also decided to become a mostly paperless genealogist.  I am starting to get everything scanned into my computer.  Once that is done, our rather as I get sectioned of it done, I will be able to get rid of some of the huge stacks of paper I have for my genealogy.  I will not be going completely paperless because there are some original documents I will of course want to keep so that other family members can see them in their original form.  I will be taking the original or professional prints of the photos and getting them put into scrapbooks so that they can be enjoyed instead of just sitting around in a bunch of boxes gathering dust.

I am also working on becoming as paperless as possible in other areas of my life.  I am trying to convert as much of my notetaking as I can on my phone and only putting things on paper when I really need to have a paper copy for some reason.

Finally, I am trying to use cloud computing methods more because they will allow me more flexibility in where and when I do things.  I can do most of my tasks on the go now with my phone!!!! I am using some cloud storage drives, google for my email, calendar, and part of my cloud computing and paperless plans.  I use remember the milk for my tasks system.   I am trying to convert even my reading habits to be cloud based.  I am so tired of trying to find the book I want to reread and when I do finally find it realizing I no longer have the time to read because it took all my time to find the book!  With the two reader apps on my phone, finding my books won’t be a problem anymore, at least not for the books I buy in ebook format.

To assist in the paperless and cloud computing goals, I am also changing back to Family Tree Maker from Ancestry.com.  It allows me to work on my genealogy from any computer with a browser and lets me even work on it to a limited degree on my phone through the android app.

Genealogy updates should be coming in next weeks post!

Kellie

Status

My Current Family History Statistics May 6 2012

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Statistics List 6 May 2012
Individual Statistics All Male Female Unknown
Individuals Selected 544 362 181 1
Individuals with marriage event 21 12 9 0
   Average age at marriage 21.67 23.04 19.84 NA
   Minimum age at marriage 14.58 18.58 14.58 NA
   Maximum age at marriage 29.08 29.00 29.08 NA
Individuals with death age 32 22 10 0
   Average age at death 62.71 60.83 66.83 NA
   Minimum age at death 14.16 14.16 35.16 NA
   Maximum age at death 87.00 87.00 86.33 NA
Individual Statistics All Male Female Unknown
Married Individuals 313 161 152 0
   Average marriages per person 1.04 1.02 1.06 NA
   Minimum marriages per person 0.00 0.00 0.00 NA
   Maximum marriages per person 4.00 2.00 4.00 NA
   Average children per family 1.75 1.76 1.74 NA
   Minimum children per family 0.00 0.00 0.00 NA
   Maximum children per family 13.00 13.00 13.00 NA
Preparer:
 Kellie S. Thompson
 genealogy@ksthompson.com

Aside

My Family History Calendar of Events May 2012

Events in May
Crawford Herman “CH” Thompson (buried May 1997)
Darthur L. Thompson (Obituary May 1987)
Darthur L. Thompson (buried May 1987)
Gordon L. Dillard (died May 1983)
Samuel C. Barnes (buried May 1982)
James Vernon “Vernard” Stout & Alma F. Wood (married May 1978)
John S. Stansell (Obituary May 1971)
Melkiga Keck (buried May 1964)
Nancy E. Barnes (buried May 1927)
Lucy J. Stout (born May 1898)
John S. Stansell (born May 1898)
Gracy Barnes (born May 1894)
Tola R. Copeland (born May 1891)
Jesse H. Stansell (buried May 1885)
Eartha Danglude (born May 1884)
William J. Carter (born May 1881)
John S. Treat (born May 1871)
George W. Carter (buried May 1870)
George W. Barnes (born May 1847)

Events on May 1
Ora Lowery (died 1973)
John I. Barnes (born 1886)
Almeda J. Keck (born 1884)

Events on May 2
Fanney Barnes (born 1880)

Events on May 3
Claud W. Thompson (died 1984)
Josephine A. Mabrey (died 1903)
Christian Keck (born 1803)

Events on May 4
George L. A. Thompson (died 1955)
Dallas Butler (born 1928)
Jessie M. (born 1881)
Jesse H. Stansell (born 1823)

Events on May 5
William Guthrey (died 1854)

Events on May 6
Margie E. S. Branscum (Obituary 1976)

Events on May 7
Claud W. Thompson (Obituary 1984)
Claud W. Thompson (Funeral Card 1984)
Claud W. Thompson (buried 1984)
Destamonia A. Smith (died 1904)
George W. Carter (died 1870)
George W. Carter (born 1852)

Events on May 8
Ilene Matthaniel “Bud” Stout & Margie M. Bailey (married 1948)
Erastas W. Whorton (born 1907)

Events on May 9
Samuel C. Barnes & Nora E. Chadwick (married 1928)

Events on May 10
Melvin Davis & Sylvia Reynolds (married 1934)

Events on May 11
Carrie Keck (born 1883)
Louisa Keck (born 1866)

Events on May 12
John S. Stansell (died 1971)
Alena P. Treat (died 1943)

Events on May 13
David C. Beavers (died 1953)

Events on May 14
John S. Stansell (buried 1971)
Nancy E. Barnes (died 1927)
Henry C. Lane (born 1885)
James J. Barnes (died 1883)

Events on May 15
Elizabeth Gabbard (born 1884)

Events on May 16
Charles Winford “Charlie” Thompson (born 1937)
Laura M. Moreland (born 1895)
Julian Stout (died 1878)
Martha C. R. Comer (born 1842)

Events on May 17
Robert C. Stout (died 1931)
Jesse H. Stansell (died 1885)

Events on May 18
Wesley S. Yingst (born 1924)

Events on May 19
Crawford Herman “CH” Thompson (died 1997)
William L. Lawrence (died 1950)
Martha J. Guthrey (died 1903)
Martha J. Guthrey (born 1820)

Events on May 20
Martha J. Guthrey (buried 1903)

Events on May 21
Darthur L. Thompson (died 1987)
Muriel Keck (born 1909)
Margaret I. Keck (born 1865)
George W. Stansell (born 1860)

Events on May 22
Melkiga Keck (died 1964)
Leon B. Thompson & Iva D. Ford (married 1942)

Events on May 23
Ota Newberry (died 1933)
Tennessee D. Carter (born 1855)

Events on May 24
Simon A. Yingst (died 1984)
Samuel C. Barnes (died 1982)
Sarah E. Baker (died 1908)

Events on May 25
Joel P. Barnes (born 1877)

Events on May 26
Bertis R. Stout (born 1913)
Vada Barnes (born 1894)

Events on May 27
Maxine Shipman (born 1938)
Freeman F. Stamps & Estelle P. Thompson (married 1932)
Guy J. Barnes (born 1917)
Elsie F. Horine (born 1904)
Wayne Castleberry (born 1888)

Events on May 28
Melkiga Keck (Obituary 1964)
Mary A. Watkins (died 1926)

Events on May 29
Nora E. Chadwick (born 1911)

Events on May 30
William H. Passmore (died 1934)

Events on May 31
Melvin Stroud (died 1973)
William J. Barnes & Nora Sutterfield (married 1903)
Nelcie Barnes (born 1884)