Roberts Roots & Branches

I have been debating on if I should share my goals for this year; I will because maybe it will inspire you! Over the years I have sporadically kept a journal; I have written in bound journals, notebooks, on the computer, and on my IPad. I decided it was time to "pull it together" and step it up, especially since it was at last year's RootsTech when Brother Brimhall asked, "What do you wish your ancestor would have left you?"  A journal--that's my answer!  That has been my answer all year long and it is almost RootsTech again and I have not done it!  [regret, regret, regret]  So, it is my New Year's Resolution--keep a journal! New Year's Day, I gathered up all my writings.  I had journal entries on my various flash drives, pieces of notebook paper and on my laptop.  I added all of these sources to my Personal Historian program; most of it was cut and paste.  I was genuinely surprised at how much I had written, but when it is scattered it doesn&#

While searching online trees and Family Search Tree, it can be very frustrating at the amount of errors and inadequate and incomplete information contained therein.   Many trees are messy with numerous submissions and changes on the most basic of fields; such as an ancestors name or place of birth.   About ten years ago, I copied my grandmother’s typewritten and handwritten legal sized pedigree and family group sheets.   Just recently, I re-analyzed these records and realized how much time it took her to type in each name and source.   As I thought about the information she had collected and added to these papers, I realized she “paid” for long distance calls, sent letters and requests through the United States postal system, and traveled to search books and films.    There was no internet, email, databases, or personal family history software programs to generate these forms for my grandmother. Just as previous researchers, my grandmother did the best she could w

The January Newsletter has been mailed and have you enjoyed reading it?  So, now you know half of your family who died in the great flu pandemic--what about the other half of your family?  Curious, then do some researching!

Know their religion

Source Local health departments  warned those who were ill  to stay away from theaters  and other public places.   [Credit: Office of the Public Health Service Historian] Source

See the  Roberts Roots & Branches Newsletter  January 2014 edition. This edition of the newsletter focus' on the Spanish Influenza from 1918-1920.  The newsletter includes facts & figures, and how the pandemic affected our relatives in Wyoming and in Iowa.

With the cold and flu season in progress,  have you ever wondered how many of our  Roberts ancestors died in the  1918-1920 flu pandemic? 

Source By educating people on how influenza could spread,  public health officials hoped to help people avoid it.    [Credit: National Library of Medicine] Source

Re-analyze all records regularly.

The following is from a handout at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah: Did you Know… ·          The Family History Library is the largest genealogical library in the world. ·          Our resources and services are open to everyone free of charge. ·          We have both professional research consultants and trained volunteers to assist you. ·          Many of them have expertise in languages other than English. ·          We are wheelchair accessible, have reader equipment for the visually impaired, and deaf services are available 9:00 AM-4PM each day the library is open. ·          We have photocopy areas including facilities for scanning photos and documents. ·          We can help you find millions of indexed records on our free website www.familysearch.org ·          We provide free access to subscription websites such as www.ancestry.com and www.findmypast.co.uk ·          You can access the Family History Library Catalog on www.familys

Carefully analyze all records.

Family Tree Magazine (September 2013, page 58) asks: “How would your family archive fare in a fire, flood, or other home disaster?” The article suggests looking at threats within your home and assessing possible damage to articles based on storage location.    Then, make a disaster plan and relocate any items to better locations.   Make a Disaster Plan: Inspect your house or apartment for areas of positional water leaks, backups or other hazards your home may face.   Move heirloom documents and photographs away from vulnerable areas of your home.   (sun light, water, Purchase archival storage boxes and number it according to the order you’d grab it in an evacuation. Inventory valuable objects, including boxes of photos and documents.   Identify them clearly so they could be easily located by anyone in a recovery or salvage situation.   Keep a copy of the inventory off-site. Consult with your insurance agent about any special coverage needed for val