Genealogist's Journal 31 January 2010

It is hard to believe that tomorrow starts a new month!

• I have unpacked from the day in RI yesterday and blogged about it. I uploaded the few photos I took.
• I have read the introduction to the book I bought on Newport colonial gravestones and blogged about that for tomorrow's post. I haven't decided on my Tombstone Tuesday post as yet
• I scanned legal sized papers this morning and did another batch during scanfest.
• I still have so much to learn about my scanner but the sheet feeder is so great that I am keeping it on for a while while I scan and archive important papers.
• Tomorrow I will take apart my display board and put the sheets in my new scrapbook.
  

Genealogist's Journal 29 January 2010

I have spent two days working on finding more records for James Albert Barber and I was sucessful except for not being able to find him living in Westerly, RI in 1910. I think he was living on his boat or at the life saving station at the Watch Hill lighthouse.

Tomorrow, I do a bit part in Robert Grandchamp's presentation for the RI Genealogical Society. I am ready, packed and raring to go! It is so cold for such a long drive early on a Saturday morning. We won't return home until suppertime, so I think I will prepare that meal right now so we can just pop it in the microwave!

Genealogist's Journal 26 January 2010

On Sunday, I bought a new cell phone, a Motorola Droid, my first real smartphone that is Web enabled. I have spent many hours learning to use it and now that I always have the Web with me, I can look things up in a snap. [I hope!]

• Knowing the battery limitations with this type of phone is essential. I bought a "multimedia" station which came with an extra charge cord and plug. I have a power inverter charger for charging in the car and I tested it this morning and it works just fine. I do think that when I travel, even for the day, I will need my charge cord with me.
• Dealing with phone calls and text messages must come first. Getting each contact with its own ringtone was hard, despite two online tutorials and a manual in PDF. Then, I set up the browser with a few important Web sites which means entering passwords. Typing quickly with this phone is not easy. [Be ye also patient]

I set to work this morning after a quick trip to the grocery store for my neighbor who has sick children.

• I set my Premium membership to Genealogy Gems Podcasts in iTunes and downloaded three episodes I have not listened to. I have decided to keep a notebook of my professional growth as a genealogist and I am logging in the hours it takes to keep up with podacasts, society meetings, and conferences. I hope to take some courses too.
• Geneabloggers has an excellent reference sheet for citations
  

My part in the presentation I am sharing with Robert Grandchamp on this Saturday is shaping up nicely. I have made a display board and am speaking only for a few minutes and I will let him do the rest. This is for the Rhode Island Genealogical Society. [Newsletter] I am getting excited about doing this!

Genealogist's Journal 22 January 2010

• Today, I blogged about receiving the author copies of my book and about the event in general.
• I decided my display really needed the photos affixed more securely so I set to using a glue stick to glue them down to the scrapbook paper I am using to apply them temporarily to the display board. I want to take them off after they are displayed and put them in a scrapbook.
• I am working to learn the reports in RootsMagic 4 and go them so messed up, I had to unplug my printer and start over. I find that printing reports does show you the inconsistencies and "holes" in your data.
• I cleaned up the tax work so that I will be more motivated to work on it in Sunday. Fat chance!
• I quit early to bask in the glow of published authorship. I sent out thank you emails to the folks at ISTE.
  

Genealogist's Journal 20 January 2010

Knowing that the worst months of the flu season are still ahead of us, I went and got my H1N1 flu shot today.

• I posted a Wordless Wednesday and a GYR monthly post on "Cemetery Critters". There is a herd of deer in my neighborhood but I haven't seen them in either cemetery close by so I went with another idea.
• I probably broke my land line yesterday with all the hanging up of the annoying political phone calls.
• I printed out all my last year purchases from Amazon.com and they are books, technology and genealogy related. Not a surprise.
• I continue working on the display board I am creating.
• I have begun a study of early New England gravestone history guided by the two books on own on the topic and the materials from the Association of Gravestone studies.
  

Genealogist's Journal 19 January 2010

Today was a rainy dreary day here in Massachusetts but it is better than snow. It's a good day to get some gravestone research done.

• I posted John Aldrich Champlin's gravestone as my Tombstone Tuesday for this week.
  
• I added the family of Weeden Barber to my tree and posted the 5 photos of the 4 sided gravestone to Flickr. One side seems to be sons who were Civil War vets. It is dark and hard to read so I will have to lighten it up for blogging. It's a very nice monument. These Barbers were from Hopkinton, RI and are not in my direct line. Unfortunately, the gravestone just gives the year of birth and death.
  
• I printed more photos for the display board I am creating for the RIGS meeting.
• I answered a Denison question as I had already researched that couple and blogged about it.
  

Genealogist's Journal 18 January 2009

Wow! Have I spent a lot on genealogy-related materials in 2009! More than I spent in technology and that's a first!

• This weekend was spent with family stuff, laundry and getting the recorded TV programs slimmed down. But, my cold is nearly gone.
• I have a contact on my aunt's Champlin line and it is excellent. I am struck by the thought that when the male surname carries down and down in the generations, the more data and interest it generates! I have a female dominated section in many of my surnames so it is no wonder that I don't know as much about them.
• I am curious about this story I keep hearing about the Rhode Island Vital Records being sent on a ship to Boston during the Revolution. I am wondering if this is a myth or is it a historical fact?

Genealogist's Journal 14 January 2010

Yesterday my newest book, Digital Storytelling Guide for Educators, published by ISTE was released.

Basking in the glory of being a famous author really takes up a lot of time!

I went looking for something in the big box of "stuff to scrapbook" and realized how much I have to scan and then put in albums. Why are days only 24 hours long?

• I received an email from a Champlin and he sent me a twenty page document all about Champlins. I can't wait to read it. He also tols me that my aunt's grandfather was shot while in jail. Guess I'll need help finding that in the newspapers.
• I guess I should clean up all the papers I neglected to refile yesterday. Sigh.

Genealogist's Journal 12 January 2010

I tried to take today a bit slower as I still have this cold. Fat chance.

1. I listened to two Genealogy Gems podcast episodes from the warmth of my bed this morning which was so great, it could become a habit.
2. I've been having trouple with my Facebook app on my iPod touch so I troubleshot it and after un-installing it and re-downloading it, I think it is fixed.
3. The Rhode Island Genealogical Society newsletter arrived today and I finally had a good idea for my tiny part in the presentations that will be given on January 30. I was very surprised to see an article about my blog in it. That will make a good post for the weekend!
4. I took a photo of the two Ellis Island books I am reading and posted it.
5. I got caught up from yesterday after my ISTE podcast adventure. Blogs are now read and some emails returned.
6. Worked with my friend and distant cousin Thomas on the Genealogy Gems podcast app for the iPod/iPod Touch. It's good but it needs work.
7. I downloaded the custom toolbar offered by Lisa Louise Cook for my Firefox browser. It looks easy to uninstall after I try it.
8. I printed out Mark Tucker's Genealogy Proof Standard free map in color on heavy stock.
   

Genealogist's Journal 10 January 2010

Yesterday, my daughter and son-in-law took baby Anthony to meet his great grandparents. We had to wait until everybody was well. My mother-in-law was recently hospitalized so we decided that "neither rain, nor sleet nor gloom of night" should deter us any longer. As I have this awful cold, I decided not to go and I have spent the morning printing out photos to mail to family members. Thanks to my very favorite son-in-law for his great photos despite the low light situation.

My newest book will be released soon and I have had obligations that revolve around that this week so I haven't been able to do any real genealogy work since last week. I decided to try to do more scanning and putting photos in archival bags. I'd love to feel well enough to clean out my bookcase this week. We'll see.... (that's what my mother used to say, did yours?)

Genealogist's Journal 7 January 2010

In preparation for the release of my book next week, I worked on updating the Web pages I wrote some time ago to accompany the book. I posted a free chapter on my Facebook page for others to read (I didn't know the publisher was going to do that!)

• I removed an application from my desktop computer that became corrupted and am not re-installing it until I see that the computer is behaving better
• I am going to be making a podcast with the publisher next week, so I reviewed the questions she sent and hopefully will make some accurate answers.
• I started the dreaded tax preparation (yuck). Thank God for Quicken!
• Prepared some quick blog postings
• Cleaned up a photo memory board in my office, scanned some of the images and wondered what would make good blog posts out of the ones I scanned.
• Literally stuffed some genealogy files into a plastic tote in my office so that they won't nag at me constantly but they are right here if I need them
• Started planning my mini-presentation for the end of the month
  

Genealogist's Journal 6 January 2010

Yesterday was a difficult work day because of my cold, my mother-in-law's health and our dead snowblower repair. Excuses aside, I did accomplish the following:

• linked both of my digital stories to a Facebook "causes" page by Dr. Bill Smith
• tested the app for Genealogy Gens Podcast and consulted with a tech friend about it
• scanned 15 more photos, archived them in archival bags and edited a few/
• worked on my Champlin gravestone project

Genealogists Journal 5 January 2009

Today was more productive which I attribute to the extra 2 minutes or daylight!

1. I scanned 10 photographs with my new scanner, archived them and posted several to Flickr for future blog posts. One really needs more editing but it fit the purpose for a post this week.
2. I worked on adding vital records to my Fish family which will be a long process but will be worth the work. So far, the compiled genealogy, the vital records and the gravestone inscriptions match up!
3. I listened to Lisa Louise Cooke's current podcast using the new app instead of the way I usually do. I checked the show notes and made screenshots for a blog post about this. She left me a Facebook message wanting to know how I liked it.
4. I decided to make my Women's Issue report for my February DAR meeting on Maureen Taylor's new book. I think it will be a fun topic.
5. Answering questions about some of my ancestors with other distantly related (to me) family members who want me to post unverified information is getting to be a problem. Many do not accept there there are no records for the 1600s and 1700s.
   
6. I worked on adding sources to my tree at Ancestry.com as many people are connecting to me. I wish the notes section gave me more room to type in!
   
7. I put 20 more photographs into archive envelopes while I watched the noontime news.
8. I will need to work on the few minutes for a presentation I am doing at the end of the month. I think it will be a photo digital story.

I am concerned about my mother-in-law's health which is not improving. My husband has to take her to the doctor tomorrow which is across the street from the retirement home but he has to drive an hour to get there.

Genealogist's Journal 4 January 2010

Today was my first official work day of the New Year!

1. I purchased and downloaded the Genealogy Gems Podcast app for my iPod touch.
2. I helped a friend with Skype just so she could demo it to another teacher.
3. I looked at my 'To-Do" list and downloaded Google's Chrome to my netbook and to my desktop computer.
4. I researched 4 gravestones of my large extended BARBER family, uploaded them to my tree at Ancestry.com and posted them to Flickr for a future blog post.

Pretty good for a first day! Oh, and I still have a cold.