Getting Organized?

I’m listening to Adele and cleaning my office. Again. Getting organized. I try every method that comes along but I still end up with piles of papers and stacks of half read book everywhere. I have a large trestle table for a desk but the top is rarely visible.  Why am I doing this now? The stacks have gotten unwieldy. I need to organize all the research material for my latest presentation on Indentured Servants, and I know the answers to my brick wall is here somewhere. I still have stacks of my earliest research attempts, the ones I did when I didn’t have a clue. I need to find the courage to tackle them too.

Mastering Genealogical Proof by Tom Jones

NGS  (National Genealogical Society) is now taking pre-orders for Tom Jones new book Mastering Genealogical Proof. The estimated shipment date is 20 May 2013.  I have been waiting for the book to come out since we discussed it at SLIG in January. Dr. Jones is an amazing speaker and teacher. He has the ability to make clear complex topics. Throughout his Advanced Genealogical Methods course at SLIG his concise explanations, coupled with class exercises and homework gave us a much better understanding of the entire process, especially analysis. The book follows that same pattern.

I think this book will be an important addition to my library.

The NGS site has the following content list, as well as a sample  exercise.

• Preface
• Chapter 1 - Genealogy’s Standard of Proof
• Chapter 2 - Concepts Fundamental to the GPS
• Chapter 3 - GPS Element 1: Thorough Research
• Chapter 4 GPS Element 2: Source Citations
• Chapter 5 GPS Element 3: Analysis and Correlation
  Chapter 6 GPS Element 4: Resolving Conflicts and Assembling Evidence
• Chapter 7 GPS Element 5: The Written Conclusion
• Chapter 8 - Using the GPS
• Chapter 9 - Conclusion
• Appendix A - Pritchett Article
• Appendix B - McLain Article
• Glossary
• Reading and Source List
• Answers to exercises

Mt. Hood Family History Conference

Last Friday I spoke at the Mt. Hood Family History Conference in Boring, Oregon. Susan LeBlanc, of Gopher Genealogy, wrote about the conference and I don’t want to repeat what she said, but I would like to commend the organizers and volunteers.

Mount Hood Family History Conference, March 8-9, 2013

Mount Hood Family History Conference - March 8-9, 2013

 Hosted at 12300 SE 312th Ave Boring, OR 97009 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

 Stephen P. Morse will be the Keynote Speaker for Discover Your Family Family History Conference.

Education Plans

One of the assignments for ProGen Study Groups is to write an education plan. The recent discussion on the APG list about genealogy education and institutes was a reminder to review and update the plan I wrote over two years ago.

 My ProGen Education Plan.

 Areas to improve: These are all still works-in progress.

·       Do a better job keeping an up to date research journal.

·       Organizing and writing research reports.

·       Expand my knowledge of Oregon research.

·       Layout and design for publications.

SLIG 2013

ProGen group at SLIG

My week at SLIG 2013 is over; I returned home last night. A colleague suggested I post information about the course, Advanced Genealogical Methods by Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, during the week but I was too busy, and too tired to do so. Here is a review of the week. The italicized sections are all I managed to write during the week.

Day One in Salt Lake City

I arrived in Salt Lake City yesterday, Saturday, January 12, for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, SLIG. I came a day early to fit in some personal research on a project that requires looking at several families in many counties in colonial Virginia, some of them “burned counties.” Numerous rolls of microfilm are involved. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I dropped my bags in the room and walked the two blocks, in 14° weather, to the Family History Library.

Preparing for SLIG

Now that the holidays are over, I realize that time is short to prepare for SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy). I have been looking forward to Dr. Tom Jones’ course “Advanced Genealogical Methods” for a long time even though I know it will be a challenge.

The class lists for each track can be found on the Utah Genealogical Society website. In addition to Tom Jones, Claire Bettag and Rick Sayre will conduct some of the classes. It will be great to meet Claire, who was the mentor for my ProGen Group. We  all appreciated her contributions to our group.

A Genealogist’s Christmas

This genealogist appreciates her understanding and generous family. Their eyes don’t always glaze over when I mention cemeteries (I even got my sister to join me on a cemetery search last July when the temperature 105), and they always include genealogy gifts from Santa.

This year they were especially generous. My gifts included a 3T external hard drive and a plane ticket to SLIG. YAHOO! Of course, right up there on my list was the family trip to see Les Miserables, which I highly recommend.

On the giving side two examples stand out this year. The first  was finally getting computers set up so that my legally blind mother, who now lives in West Virginia,  could “see” and talk to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Oregon. Everyone was delighted and I believe she could hear us better using Skype than on the telephone. It requires some scheduling but we plan to make it a regular means of communication with her.

The second was the scrapbooks I made for my brother and sister. Each June I travel to West Virginia for a family reunion, then stay several weeks to visit and research in the surrounding states. It has become a tradition for my mother, sister, and me to take a trip each year. Sometimes my brother, who lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina, will join us, or plan a separate trip. So my gift to them was a scrapbook of our trips. Maybe someday a descendant will be pouring over the scrapbook, wondering why we moved so much! I’m delighted to say my brother said it was one of the best gifts he has ever received.

Hurricane Katrina

August 1995. I couldn’t take my eyes off the television screen, watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina. I wavered between tears for the death and devastation I was watching and anger for the lack aid for the victims. “Someone needs to do something,” I was thinking. My personal philosophy that I should do something about the things I feel strongly about has led me to some of the best and worst experiences of my life. So, I called the Red Cross and volunteered. And it did lead  to one of the  best and a worst experiences of my life.  Many other Oregonians felt the same way. An expedited fast track training program was quickly organized to certify volunteers in Disaster Resources. I took an intense crash course in Red Cross procedures and policies in accordance with my chosen track, family services, which is direct client casework. I chose this route because of my experience working with people in crisis. According to  a letter I received from the Red Cross, this disaster was “the largest series of disasters the Red Cross has faced in its 124 year history.” The training I took part in was the first local mass training ever. (Local Red Cross organizations provide volunteers to the American Red Cross for large scale disasters.) The Oregon Trail Chapter of the Red Cross deployed 300 people for Hurricane Katrina relief.