21 Day Genealogy Challenge - Day 6: A Week in Review

Take A Second Look … It Costs You Nothing.  
 – Chinese Proverb

Congratulations! You have made it to day six of the 21 Day Genealogy Challenge!   This first week has been a busy one.  Today is a good day to review and catch up with any area you may have missed.

Day One

Prepare!  A proper workspace dedicated to your project is important.  Were you able to find a location that suits your needs and allows you to work without interruption?  

There are a variety of genealogy software and online programs available.  Hopefully you have chosen one that you are comfortable with.  It may take time to get use to the program and understand all it has to offer.  Make sure you look the program over carefully so you understand how it works.  

Finally, you were tasked with starting a Genealogy Journal.  This will be your “go to” book when you are traveling and interviewing family members.  Unless you are out of the house researching, it is best to keep this book in your research space so that you know where it is and can update it as you come across important information.

 Day Two

It begins with you!  Day two’s assignment involved entering information about yourself and what you know about your immediate family.  Did you discover that there were some things you didn’t know?  Remember to write those questions down in your Genealogy Journal.  You will be glad you did! 

Day Three

Gather, Identify, and Sort.  The very thought of gathering family photos for the purpose of organizing them can be overwhelming.  Remember to take your time so that you can enjoy the process.  Focus on identifying and sorting a handful of pictures at a time.   

Prepare sorting boxes for photos you want to keep, photos you need to identify, and photos you would like to give away to relatives.   In a future blog post, we will discuss what to do with the photos you have chosen to keep.

Day Four

Interviewing Family.  Have you selected a family member to interview?   Remember to arrive at the interview on time and prepared.  Give your relative a few questions to think about ahead of time.  Bring along a couple photos to use as conversation prompts.  

For safe measure bring two recording devices.  Always test your devices before the interview and listen to the recording in its entirety when you return home.   Make sure to complete this portion of the project by transcribing the interview and sharing it on your tree or with other relatives.

Day Five

Consistency and Standards.  Review the information you have placed on your family tree.  If you are using a genealogy software program, as well as an online program, be certain to update both trees at the same time.  

Select which ancestor you will be moving forward with during our research portion of this challenge.  As you come across documents pertaining to your ancestor, remember to analyze, compare and resolve any conflicts involving those sources.

Coming soon!

In the coming week we will discuss where to look for evidence of your ancestors, and how to add those sources to your family tree.  Review the previous five days so that you will be ready to move forward!

Congratulations on completing the sixth day of the 21 Day Genealogy Challenge!  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them in the Blog Comment section below.  Invite your friends to join this challenge by sharing this blog with them on Google+, Twitter and Facebook.  The share icons are just below this blog entry.

Thank you for joining this challenge and remember…..

History not shared is History forgotten!