Organizing is a Bunch of Four Letter Words

-


 

Thanks to Twisted Twigs on Gnarled Branches via Facebook


Organizing is a bunch of four letter words--sort, list, file, scan, copy, move. . .and a few others not to be uttered in polite society.

Of those words, "List" should be one of your first actions.  Take an inventory of what you have and at least mentally remember where it is located now.  You might be surprised what you have in your file boxes and bookshelves.  Recently I spotted a book on my bookshelf that I could have used a few times myself and could have shared with others.




A few years ago I prepared a presentation about the rectangular land survey system by which federal lands were allocated under various land grant acts including the Homestead Act of 1862. In the course of the presentation and several times in my own research I have encountered reference to Military Bounty Warrants. While I roughly know what they are, I have felt I needed to learn more about them but have never made the time to do so.


What's On Your Shelf?

One day recently I looked at the bookcase to the left of my computer desk and with shock, read the book title, Military Bounty Land 1776-1855 by Christine Rose, published in 2011. I probably purchased this at a seminar but I sure don't remember where or when. There it was, in my bookcase, all this time!





This book explains the process of applying for and receiving warrants for land awarded both by the federal government and some states after the Revolutionary War. It also relates the location of files and how to find applications and warrants. This valuable information is one more research tool.


Lookups, Sharing, Collaboration

I am willing to do lookups to help people find more information so I am listing it at a page we have recently set up at Books: Pleasure, Learning, Lookups: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Society/wiki/32706

While you are doing your organizing, please consider listing books you are willing to share with others.  It's easy to edit the wiki page and you may have just the information someone else needs.


Good luck with your 2023 New Year's resolution about organizing.  Keep at it and soon your office assistant will be very pleased with your progress.




MaryLynn Strickland



Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2023 at 11:28 PM

    I have such a mess, I don't know where to begin.......(:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ValorieJanuary 29, 2023 at 1:31 PM

      Anonymous, I'm sure many of us can relate! The key is to just begin. Do one thing. Then do another, and soon you are "in progress." It can be overwhelming, but doing one thing helps.

      Delete
  2. Janet EmersonJanuary 25, 2023 at 2:55 PM

    I can relate to this situation; I'm presently trying to spend several hours each day to sorting by family name many of the papers I have in folders & then to enter said information into specific family binders. I found photos without names from a great-uncle's funeral gathering. I knew most of the attendees, so have typed names, the date & location and will put these on pages into his book. One task completed once ''Pap's" book goes back on the shelf.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's the Question?

-
Image
We genealogists are often told by experienced researchers how important it is to begin with a research question. I resisted doing this for a long time, but now that I use a series of questions to guide my research, the search is more focused and actually finds more of the history of the family I'm investigating. I use a Google Doc as the  research proceeds, where I keep the question(s), the plan, timelines, checklist of resources to search, etc. all in one place. I've seen others use spreadsheets in the same way, perhaps splitting up things in tabs (Excel or Google Sheets). I prefer a document because I add source citations as I find them and I can begin writing up the case right there in the doc as the hypotheses are proven. Specific Questions in Previous Successes As beginners we often have no clue how much and what details we already know about a person, event or relationship, so it's hard to specify what we want to know. But when looking back at successful research, it
Read more

Looking for a Needle in a Haystack? GAME CHANGER at FamilySearch

-
Image
Generated with Bing ImageCreator (AI), March 13, 2024 Where is YOUR Needle, Your Missing Record? Genealogical Proof Standard When we use the GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard) as our guide, we all know that "exhaustive research" can be both tedious and exhausting. Is life long enough to search page by page through all the counties where all the members of a family might have lived, paid taxes, bought, leased or sold property, made a will or died intestate? It is possible that the new Full Text Search at FamilySearch will  eventually  allow us to do just that. It has been estimated that 75% or more of the records at FamilySearch were browsable but not searchable; the only indexes those found in the records themselves. Those records are certainly attainable by using those indexes and browsing to the record of interest, but the process is tedious, often frustrating, and slow. And once found, the record must be read and transcribed to be useful. This new Full Text Search tackles a
Read more

Shedding Your Genealogy "Stuff"

-
Image
AI: Bing Image Creator Generated Changing realities force many of us to consider the future of our genealogical collections. Whether a change in health, a new location or even just downsizing, it can be useful to evaluate what we have now, with an eye to the future. What we can pass along? Plan Ahead First: if you have online trees, create a plan to grant access to interested fellow researchers, even distant cousins. Depending on the website, you may need to add a codicil to your will, or just tell the site whom your successor will be.  Ancestry.com: there are two considerations: your DNA test and your tree(s). It is wise to share your DNA results with a cousin or other relative; no need to wait. Or you can  Assign a Manager .  For overall accounts and trees, there is  Ancestry® Family Plan Memberships .  FamilySearch help file:  How to Connect to a Family Member’s Tree .  B ecause it is a shared tree, a person cannot pass along their FamilySearch account. Ensure that your interested
Read more