OneGreatFamily Blog

• Genealogy: Networking in Repositories and Libraries

  7/26/2013 1:05:00 AM

  The following article is a sample from Barry J. Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." He is the founder of MyGenShare.com, an online educational website for genealogy and family history. 

  Many libraries, archives, and societies have excellent and well-known collections of genealogical research materials. Several of these repositories-particularly the smaller ones-maintain lists of researchers and the local area families they are researching.
  
  One of the better-known repositories is the Family History Library (FHL), owned and maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located in Salt Lake City, Utah. (For more information, visit www.familysearch.org.) It is the most widely known repository of genealogical materials. The FHL has been acquiring and preserving genealogical data since its founding in 1894. The library has collected vital information on hundreds of millions of deceased individuals. This data includes print and microform copies of records from all over the world. Copies of records are made available at the library in Salt Lake City and at family history centers throughout the United States and in many foreign countries as well. All are welcome to visit the FHL and its subsidiaries. A catalog of FHL sources is available online.
  
  Societies. Hundreds of genealogical and historical societies across the country seek to preserve records and provide instruction to family historians. Most genealogists are willing to share findings, exchange ideas, and tell of their research experience. Societies work to preserve records, make records available, promote educational opportunities, and encourage participation in society activities. By tapping into the society's resources, you gain educational opportunities, instructional articles published in their periodicals, local skill-building sessions, and one- or two-day seminars featuring nationally known professionals. You will find members of the societies who know some or all of the following helpful information:

  • Which records are available
  • How you can access those records
  • What information is online, in books, and in folders
  • The experience level of members and other genealogists
  • Where information is located if they don't have it
  • Who to talk to if they don't know the answer-perhaps leading you to others who may be researching your surname
  • History of the immigrants

  Many groups form at the county level because of the research significance of local area records; organizations also exist to study a single surname or the descendants of a particular couple. Ethnic or religious origins account for many such groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and Pursuing Our Italian Names Together (P.O.I.N.T.). Other societies bring together researchers with common locales of origin-for example, groups such as The Palatines to America and Germans from Russia.
  
  Every state has a genealogical or historical society, a state council, or both. In addition to major projects, the following is a list of the types of projects that a state-level group might coordinate with the efforts of local societies within the state:

  • Their publications (newsletters and journals) supplement those produced by local societies.
  • Some state organizations, such as the Ohio Genealogical Society, offer chapter membership throughout the country.
  • Other state organizations operate on a less-structured basis.
  • At the national level, a number of organizations serve individual genealogists or societies, such as the following:
  • The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)-www.fgs .org.
  • Umbrella organizations for genealogical and historical societies and research institutes, such as libraries and archives.
  • The National Genealogical Society (NGS) comprised of individual researchers-www.ngsgenealogy.org.
  • The oldest society in the United States is the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)-www.nehgs.org.

  Volunteer efforts. Most societies create and manage projects to benefit the genealogical community, such as indexing and preservation activities and producing periodicals and other publications. There are also many genealogists who work independently of societies. You will find numerous online indexes and databases created by these volunteers. Many of these projects are on the USGenWeb Project at www.usgenWeb.org. This website is full of volunteer-driven sites that publish historical information and resource material, such as a list of sites that offer cemetery indexes and newspaper abstracts.
  
  Volunteers maintain sites and often provide important local details about an area's history, geography, and settlement. They also usually give an overview of record availability and access and research tips.
  
  Professional groups. You can interact with professional genealogists by writing articles and books, presenting lectures that provide new information, and giving examples of methodologies to help in difficult research situations. Professionals often lead efforts to protect records in jeopardy and to make them available for wide use. Many (but not all) professionals conduct research on a contract basis for others and can assist a family historian with a quest that seems impossible. The research that professionals do ranges from an entire lineage to small but significant tasks in their field of expertise.
  
  In the United States, there are several groups that serve the interests of professional genealogists and their clients, as well as those of the genealogical community. The following is a list of some such organizations, along with some basic information about each group:

  • The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) PO Box 40393, Denver, CO 80204-0393
  • Membership organization that does not administer tests, award credentials, or otherwise endorse individual researchers.
  • The association does offer arbitration in the event a dispute arises between any association member and the general public.
  • The APG website (www.apgen.org) lists members' names, contact details, and areas of expertise.
  • The Board for Certification of Genealogists PO Box 14291, Washington, DC 20044
  • Certifying body that is not affiliated with any group.
  • BCG screens applicants through a testing process; successful candidates earn the initials CG (Certified Genealogist).
  • A roster ofcertified genealogists is at the BCG website: www .bcgcertification.org
  • The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen)
  • Offers independent testing without membership.
  • This program, established in 1964 (by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), is designed to examine and accredit researchers in specialized geographic areas.
  • Those who successfully complete the program receive the initials AG (Accredited Genealogist).
  • The American Society of Genealogists (ASG)
  • Founded in 1940 as an honorary society, limited to fifty lifetime members designated as Fellows (identified by the initials FASG):
  • Election to the ASG is based on a candidate's published genealogical scholarship.
  • A list of Fellows and news of the ASG Scholar Award can be found at their website (www.fasg.org).

  Blogs. A blog, short for "web log," is an easy way to post new information online. When a new article or tip is posted, it is sent automatically to anyone who has subscribed to the blog. By subscribing to one or more genealogy blogs, you can keep up with the latest techniques, tips, and databases.
  
  How can you get the most out of your blog reading time? Focus on the title. Look over the article (just a brief scan). Determine if the post is of interest or value to you. If not, carry on elsewhere.
  
  If it is of interest, analyze who wrote the post. What are their qualifications for this topic?
  
  Determine one or two questions that you hope to find answers to by reading the post before thoroughly reading it. This will transform you from a passive consumer of information into an active reader. Read the actual post. Reflect on the questions you asked yourself before you read the post. Were your questions answered? Take mental or written notes about the post. Summarize the post in your own words.

  Read more great genealogy tips in Barry Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." 

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• Genealogy: Increasing the Productivity of Your eMail

  7/19/2013 1:00:00 AM

  The following article is a sample from Barry J. Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." He is the founder of MyGenShare.com, an online educational website for genealogy and family history. 

  If this is your first genealogy-related email, consider this an introduction. Explain who you are. Briefly explain your interest in family history. Don't overwhelm the recipient with questions or your entire family tree in your first email. Tell how you're related to the person or family you are contacting them about. Consider how you found out about the person you are contacting. Was it from the relative or researcher? If appropriate, pass on a greeting from that person.
  
  The subject line is everything. The subject will oftentimes determine whether your email is opened or directed to an email's "spam" or "trash" folder. Consider putting the full name or surname of the specific ancestor plus the word genealogy. For example, "Ewell Genealogy."
  
  Writing to someone who speaks another language. If you're writing someone who speaks a different language than you, request help from someone who knows the language. Review a research guide from the county of the Family History Library catalog. There are usually several examples of letters in various languages with English translation. Language translation sites can help in a pinch. If you're not sure in which language to send your email, send it in both languages. Use simple words and phrases in your email, which will increase the chance that words will be translated correctly. Check (and, if needed, correct) key facts such as names and dates before you send email.

  Remember that you are writing to request a favor. Once you have contacted the individual, there still may be some reservation about who you are or about sharing the requested information. Let them know it would be helpful to receive a few basic facts. Ask them what further information they may need from you. If they refuse to share information, don't press them. Ask them if there is someone else that could provide assistance.
  
  Say "Thank you." When individuals take time to help you, write a thank-you note to them. The time to write thank-you's is the minute you finish reading their email. It is also nice to keep them posted on the progress of your research going forward.
  
  How to write an email
  
  Begin by making sure that you have the correct email address of the person you are emailing. If you don't, it will come back to you as undeliverable. Type the email address into the "TO" box.
  
  Next, determine the topic of the email. The topic is what should go in the "RE" or "Subject" box. Be specific, because the recipient may not know you; if she can't determine what the email is about, then she may simply delete your message-or worse, flag it as spam. Keep the email short and succinct. The first word of the title should be capitalized; all other words-unless proper nouns-should be in lower case.
  
  Begin typing the message to the recipient. Use the proper rules of grammar; if in doubt, www.drgrammar.org will answer any questions. Even if the email is more casual, such as an email to a friend or family member, take the time to prevent typographical errors, use proper form, and to use spell-check. To use spell-check, click on the icon marked "Spelling" or "Check Spelling" and it will check the body of the email for errors and suggest corrections. After you have written the body of the message, read it out loud to yourself to make sure you've used proper grammar and haven't omitted any text.
  
  Finish the email with an ending, such as "Sincerely" or "Respectfully." Under that, add your name. If this is a business email, you should always type your email address and your telephone number below your name, as well as any other pertinent information, such as your company and your title. Once you are satisfied with your email, click "Send."
  
  How to write a personal email

  • Choose your words. Things can get taken out of context over email, so make sure your message is clear, readable, and friendly. While you can convey discontent in an email, you should always include a warm closing statement at the end-especially if it's not the most positive email. Short phrases and one-word replies can appear snide and rude-like you're talking to something, not someone, or to someone who doesn't matter. When it comes to business, clients need to feel special and that they can talk to you even using an impersonal form of communication such as email.

  • Determine the intended recipient and include a greeting with the recipient's name. If you're writing back and forth, try to include a greeting in each reply. A greeting will help make the email more personal. In addition, use a salutation and sign your name, even just your first name if you're comfortable enough with a client or supervisor.

  • Enable future contact. It's very important that someone can contact you in a way other than email, so give your phone number in the signature to your message. Some people don't agree with releasing this information; however, if you're in business, you can't hide behind a computer. Giving business associates your phone number shows that they can reach you should they wish to talk instead of using email alone.

  • Chit chat. While you don't want to recap details of your weekend, you can include a personal note. It's never bad to tell someone you hope they had a nice time on their vacation after you ramble on in a message about business. I find this often leads to more personalized email and a strong business relationship. While you may not want to get too carried away talking about personal things over email with a client or boss, I think it's okay to get to know a supervisor or customer.

  • Observe email etiquette. As email becomes one of the most frequently used forms of communication, it's important that you observe proper email etiquette so that you keep communications cordial and respectful. From using basic writing etiquette rules to more complex technical customs, follow these steps to observe good email etiquette:

  • Write to your audience. Just as with letter writing or spoken communication, it's important that you write an email with your specific audience in mind. Keep the email personal, but appropriately formal or casual by starting with a greeting and a few words of courtesy. Use spaces between paragraphs and an appropriate valedictory, such as "Best regards" or "Sincerely," to end the email.

  • Keep file attachments light. One of the most common violations of email etiquette is attaching very large files to the email. Large files literally clog the recipient's email inbox, making the download very slow. If you need to send someone an email with an attachment that is larger than one megabyte, get approval from the recipient in advance or ask if there's a better way to transfer the file.

  • Make sure the email is relevant. An email is an address box- just like your physical mailbox at home. So flooding people you know with emails that are important to you but irrelevant to them is considered bad etiquette and sometimes is even classified as "spam," or unwanted junk mail. Before you forward someone a joke, announcement, or chain letter-make sure you know that the recipient will appreciate the email's contents.

  • Keep email addresses private. If you need to send an email to many people simultaneously, or if you're forwarding an email from one person to another, it's very important that you protect the email addresses of your contacts. To write an email with numerous recipients, put your own name in the "To" field and then use the bcc function to hide the recipients' email addresses. When forwarding an email, remove all mentions of the sender's email address before you send the email.

  Use online abbreviations sparingly. Although you might love using your favorite Internet abbreviations such as "btw," or "brb," you should be careful not to overuse such language in emails. Many email users might not understand "Internet- speak," and others may find it too casual. Observe the same principle of email etiquette when using smiley faces or other emoticons.

  Read more great genealogy tips in Barry Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." 

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• Genealogy: How to Organize and Manage Your Genealogy eMail

  7/12/2013 12:51:00 AM

  The following article is a sample from Barry J. Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." He is the founder of MyGenShare.com, an online educational website for genealogy and family history. 

  A big part of keeping your inbox and your email organized is discipline, along with having a system that you consistently put into practice. There are several tasks you can put into place upon checking your email to keep ahead of your email clutter.
  
  Put your "delete" button to work. If you do not recognize the sender, look at the subject line. Are there funny characters or alphanumeric gibberish, or does it just not make sense? Delete it! Don't fall for tricky subject fields that say any number of enticing comments that only someone you know or do business with would say. None of these types of emails are from friends or folks you know, and they won't be from companies you do business with. They are from spammers, and the worst kind too-those who underestimate your intelligence by thinking these emails will be something you would take seriously. If you don't know the sender and the subject field looks off, send them on their way to the trash; never respond to these messages (even to request removal from their email listings) since they use your response to note an active email address, keeping you hostage to their continued invasions of unwanted mail!
  
  Once you have deleted all irrelevant or unwanted messages, your remaining email will probably be a compilation of these types of messages, which you may need to keep on hand for future reference: several emails from the same person; email from companies who send you their information quite regularly; email that is personal business; email of a more serious nature; and so on.
  
  Set up filters. You are now ready to determine what to do with the remaining emails that still need to be organized in an efficient manner. This is where filters come into play. Filters (or "Rules," as they are called in Outlook) are what allow you to organize your email upon download (and Send too). As you download your email, it will be sorted into email folders set up for specific topics or contacts. This is a quick and easy way to become more organized. You can have a "Mom" filter that sends all email from dear old Mom right into your Mom folder. Set up filters to have email from your banking sites go directly into their own folders. Your favorite site can have its own folder. You can even have information from your financial institutions automatically end up in a folder specifically divided into further folders (such as Annuity, CDs, Stock, Bonds). The benefit of filters is that if you organize your email to go into their own folders upon download is that your inbox will have less of your requested or expected emails-leaving only the questionable email for you to review. Filters only need to be set up once, and they stay in place until you delete them. Other benefits of using filters: You can use them to send certain email right to the trash, bypassing your inbox altogether! Filters can be configured to find certain adult or offensive terms when listed in the subject line or body text of an email message and send them right to trash on the download!
  
  Let's go back to your inbox. You now have filters in place that organize your email upon download, so all the email you requested or expected will automatically go into their appropriate folders for you to read at your convenience. Now your inbox should only have the orphan email with nowhere to go. After following the suggestions about using your delete button, begin to review your remaining email. If you run into an email that is from a new mailing list you've subscribed to and you plan on getting regular emails from, stop and make a folder and filter to accommodate these future emails. Set up a filter to look for something specific to that email (usually an email address works best), and then all future emails from that mailing list will go directly into their own folder. Do this for any email topic or contact for which you plan to receive email on a regular basis.
  
  Read and delete unwanted emails. Read your email as time permits and then delete any email that doesn't have content worth keeping for future reference. Having too many email files uses a ton of your system's resources, so empty your trash often. Not keeping copies of email you really will never need in the future helps remove the clutter and drain on system resources.
  
  Prioritize. When reading your email, you can prioritize when you want to address them in the future. Many email programs allow you to label email by color when viewing a particular folder. For example, you could have labels that at a glance tell you how you have prioritized your tasks-let's say red for "urgent," blue for "later," and yellow for "maybe." By opening that specific email box, you know at a glance which email you have set to address right away and which you can get to as time permits.
  
  Create a folder called Follow-Up, Interesting, or To-Do. This is where you will file some of the emails from your inbox that piqued your interest or that you would like to review in more detail but just don't have the time right now. Then, when time permits, you can go to that folder and check into which emails are worth keeping. Once you review them, though, either send them to another folder for safekeeping or send them to the trash.
  
  Clear your inbox daily. To avoid email backup, be sure your inbox is cleared each day. Move email to trash, a specific folder, or your to-do folder, and then empty the trash. If email is older than ninety days in your to-do folder, send them off to trash, since most likely the information or offer is no longer current. By doing so each day, you keep your inbox clear and your email much more organized.
  
  Take out the trash. Your "trash" folder should be emptied daily-but before doing so, be sure to take a quick look just in case any of your filters inadvertently picked up on some terms that were included in email that you didn't want to trash. This happens quite often. A quick once-over before deleting your trash will ensure legitimate email you do want to read doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
  
  What about all these folders? Have as many folders as you need to be organized and call them whatever will intuitively work for you with a glance. This system is meant to be unique to each and every user-make sure you use terms and a system that works for you.

  Read more great genealogy tips in Barry Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." 

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• Genealogy: Genealogy and Social Networking Sites

  7/5/2013 1:07:00 AM

  The following article is a sample from Barry J. Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." He is the founder of MyGenShare.com, an online educational website for genealogy and family history. 

   

  Online communities have been built as a place for individuals with common interests to build new relationships. These online services provide simple tools to generate collaborative opportunities for finding, sharing, and interacting with like-minded people. Social networking websites use networking technologies such as wikis, RSS, and mapping. Online family tree building helps people connect with family members and other researchers. Many of the sites become a platform for the family social experience. Families can produce content, preserve connections, add historical anecdotes, and communicate across a number of mediums like instant messaging and email, as well as picture and family tree viewing. You can browse by city or country to view uploaded photos of that city and names of genealogists that live in that city. Examples include Facebook, FamilyLink.com, Famiva.com, Google-plus, LinkedIn, MyFamily.com, MyHeritage.com, MySpace, and Twitter.
  
  I actively use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. I can reach long, long distances-even across the pond-for little or no cost at all. Usually you are contacting people who have already advertised their body of knowledge and expertise.
  
  Facebook is the leading social networking site today and has been adopted openly by the genealogy community. Facebook has allowed me to find near and distant family. I have followed other genealogists who offer online seminars or have websites with information on genealogy and the industry.
  
  Twitter is a messaging platform in which-just like Facebook "friends"-you gather "followers." These are people who find your messages interesting and decide to follow you. Twitter is different than simple text messaging in that you are limited to 140 characters and you have a band of followers. I actively "tweet" (the act of sending messages on Twitter) the surnames that I am searching for, especially the ones for whom I have brick walls.
  
  Email. Writing and sending email is a quick, inexpensive, and effective means for promoting communication. Email can be sent with attached documents and photographs. A brief and polite email to a potential, newfound, or known relative is often the beginning of a wonderful exchange. When communicating via email, traditional courtesies should be observed.
  
  Mailing lists. A mailing list is simply an email party line. Every message that a list subscriber sends to the list is distributed to all other list subscribers. Subscribing to a mailing list is one of the best ways of connecting to people who share your interests. Genealogy- related mailing lists can cover surnames, US counties and states, other countries and regions, ethnic groups, and various other topics. Many websites host mailing lists, including RootsWeb.com, Ancestry.com, and Genealogy.com.
  
  Wikis. A wiki is a page or collection of web pages that is designed to enable anyone who accesses the wiki to contribute or modify content. The value of a wiki is that anyone can contribute. The combined efforts of several individuals usually create a better end result than any one individual could by themselves. Wikis are used to create collaborative websites where a community can work together to provide meaningful content. The most widely known wiki is Wikipedia.com. FamilySearch started the Research Wiki at wiki.familysearch.org. Be careful, though: because anyone can contribute, you must make sure to check the accuracy of information retrieved from a wiki site.
  
  Message boards. There are message boards focusing on surnames, localities, and many other genealogy topics. By posting a message to the appropriate message board, you create a record through which other researchers can find you. You'll find message boards on Ancestry.com, RootsWeb.com, and Genealogy.com.
  
  The message boards are a "must do" connecting point for genealogists to collaborate with one another on research topics of mutual interest in a public forum. The focuses of the boards range from surnames to locations to special topics. Depending on the board and the number of people posting queries and replies, the flow and volume of information that is exchanged is dynamic.
  
  The majority of people using the message boards have been doing genealogy for more than ten years. There is a great pool of knowledge and experience coming together to help one another. I have used message boards to assist in the process of planning and evaluating genealogy trips to Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Norway, Germany, and Russia and which one I should do when.
  
  I posted my queries in both the country- and county-specific boards for the focus of my research and within hours-and for the next week-I received very insightful hints and direction from people who lived in the area or who had gone on trips such as I was planning. Some people replied to the message boards, and others sent an email directly to me. Thoughts ranged from where to conduct my research to where to stay and eat to where I would most likely find graves of my family, as well as offering insights on personal genealogy.
  
  In another case, I had posted a message in November 2005 concerning research I was conducting on the Mullins family from Goochland County, Virginia. My first reply was six months later. The individual who responded replied that he had been doing research on his line with the same name and realized that information he had gathered was not of his line and sent it to me, along with several links to review. We continued a correspondence away from the message boards for a couple of weeks, seeking to help each other with our research.
  
  Remember: most message boards are open to the public, so anyone can view or post a query or reply. It becomes your responsibility to make sure that the information you're getting ready to post is really the information you want to share with the world. There will be no time limit as to how long the message will be posted. I have messages that have been out there for five or more years. Once you press "submit," the information is now free to be used as the public chooses to use it.
  
  Take the time to carefully compose your message, providing the key information others will need to help you in your research. For example, the following information is usually important to provide when helping others identify family connection:

  • Full name, including any middle names or initials
  • Birth, marriage, and death dates
  • Places where the above events occurred
  • Residence and migration
  • Names of their children and parents

  Don't be afraid to provide detailed information. If I am looking for specific help, I need to be able to provide enough background information so that others can review it and provide quality input. It helps others understand that you have done your homework, and they will give you better answers.
  
  Check your grammar and spelling. Think about how an error will change the response you might get, such as if you enter a date of 1962 and really meant 1926.
  
  Rather than compose your message in the data entry window provided by the message board, compose your message in your word processing software first, run spell check, edit, and then copy and paste your message into the appropriate message window.
  
  It is important that you use the message boards to keep track of your efforts by doing one or more of the following:

  • Use a correspondence log to track your message board posts and queries. Information to track will include the date when you posted, where it was posted, and a summary of your post. As you receive the replies, track the date the reply was received and the results (positive or negative).
  • Use bookmarks or favorites. Simply create a folder in your bookmarks or favorites for the explicit purpose of tracking message board queries. The program will usually allow you to add comments each time you visit the site.
  • Use your genealogy software to keep track of your message board queries. Some family tree software programs include correspondence logs or to-do lists. Be sure to include the URL, copy of your post or query, the date you last checked, and so forth.

  Read more great genealogy tips in Barry Ewell's book "Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips, and Tricks for Discovering your Family History." 

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  Barry Ewell Article

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