where2look4ancestors

Category: Organizing

  • Serendipity and Systems

    On the day I was to sort through a three-ring binder labeled “Ancestors and descendants of Julia Christine Thompson (1888-1964)”, I received an edit request on Find A Grave for Ludwig Charles Ogren, Julia’s brother-in-law. Julia’s older sister Esther Maria Thompson married Ludwig, who was a Swedish immigrant, on the…

  • Tweaking the System

    I talked about my genealogy binder re-do here thinking I had all my ducks in a row. For the first couple binders, everything was quacking about nicely. Then I hit a few snags. So I made some corrections: Previously I thought this was fine: Then those pesky patronymic names came…

  • Family History Filing Friday

    Something wonderful is in the air ~ spring cleaning! Having recently left my 40-hour-workweek behind, I’m all about pulling, purging and perfecting my environment. My digital environment hasn’t escaped the virtual feather duster either; I’m on a mission to bring my genealogy files to a state of organization they haven’t…

  • Genealogy Binder Re-Do

    In preparation for my first WMGS DNA special interest group meeting, Johanna Christina Carlson’s binder was a good place to start my binder organizational re-do. This is a first step in determining if Johanna’s father is Karl Johan Andersson Molin (1854-1895). Johanna is my maternal grandfather’s mother. Currently the spine…

  • Distraction-Free Zone

    I blame myself. Two pieces of paper were left alone overnight and suddenly my desk was awash in clutter. Despite my ‘design for success’ plan, I hadn’t considered the genealogical documents that cannot be addressed immediately. Where do those random various-surname documents go? Certificates and notes started to collect on…

  • Delayed Gratification

    This morning I put a second coat of paint on a small shelf and a mailing tube. The shelf had been in our garage for years. The mailing tube contained a Swedish family history chart dating back to 1620, a gift from my cousin, another Tolf descendant. In its new…

  • A Place for Everything

    Over the next few months, I will drastically reduce my work-away-from-home hours. Knowing I’ll have more time to delve into family history research, sewing projects, and the next great novel, I started seeing my home office with new eyes. My family history research is in binders labeled with my ancestors’…

  • How Changing My Editorial Calendar Changed My Life

    I started this blog while looking for cousins who share my love of family history. It’s been really fun connecting with kindred spirits and meeting extended family. Love love love collaborating with cousins who are equally inspired. But family history is only one of my interests. There’s also photography, old newspapers, graving, exploring technology, travel and so…

  • A Surplus of Surnames

    I’ve been climbing my family tree since the days of writing letters and reading microfiche. And while I’m still interested in dead people, in 2015 I focused less on the ones related to me [1] and more on those buried in various Midwest cemeteries [2]. Which means my ancestors have been gathering dust. Well not…

  • Fun with Genealogy Files Part 4

    In Fun with Genealogy Files Part 3, I shared my obsessive need desire to create virtual place holders. Ones that match the paper file place holders I made for each of my direct line ancestors. You’ll be pleased to know that I have been plodding along, methodically moving documents into their respective…