Roberts Roots & Branches

RootsTech 2014 conference presenter James Tanner broke the art of blogging down into six steps for his class: [and in brackets I have answered the questions pertaining to the RR&B blog as per our goals here under "Why"] 1. Be passionate: Focus on the thing or things you really want to write about, and stick with them. Make sure you have a lot to say about your blog topic.(1) [and in brackets I have answered the questions pertaining to the RR&B blog as per our goals] 2. Decide on an audience: Are you writing this blog just for you and your personal records? Is it meant to link all members of your extended family? Is it a how-to blog for other members of the genealogy community? Choose beforehand whom you are intending to address.(1) [numbers 1 & two of RR&B goals:  1--Share & exchange information about the Roberts family, and 2--Keep in touch with the Roberts family members] 3. Decide on a title: Tanner suggests being extra careful with this ...

RootsTech 2014 conference presenter James Tanner began by asking his audience, “Why do you want to blog?”   “Here’s the important thing about blogging — you need to have something to say,” Tanner said. “You need to be very passionate about what you’re blogging about. If you’re fixated on the fact that you’ve only got 20 people reading the blog, you’ve missed the point of blogging.”(1) * * " If you’re fixated on the fact that you’ve only got 20 people reading the blog, you’ve missed the point of blogging. ”(1) It was so refreshing to read this.  I put soooo much time into this blog and quite frankly the "pay" is not good.  Yes, I have had a couple of distant relatives reach out to me--Yay--but, it can be really frustrating to post and  write as much as I do and not reap very much!  Honestly, I spend several hours a week researching topics, writing, and compiling my research to share on the blog and it is daunting.  Several times I have thought ...

Charts and forms help organize your research and your family history data.   Forms help keep track of details making research quicker and easier.   Specific forms allow researchers to see specific information from different views, see gaps in information, or see what step to take next.   In addition, forms are used to transcribe information from direct sources, into a readable chart.   In this digital age, forms may be used digitally in spreadsheets, such as Excel, or saved in PDF form.   Some researchers will even create their own, digital or paper forms or charts, to help aid in research or record various information from sources.   Personal software programs will allow you to print out forms with your database information included and personal software programs will allow the printing of blank forms.    Here is the link to the page of Charts and Forms

While I am adding information from my flash drives into my history, I realize that I could open a new file to add my notes and articles about family history research.   I gather many articles from newspapers, blogs, and classes I attend about family history work.   I have never really organized them because it seems like such a big task and I have files and notes everywhere: on my flash drives, my laptop, my desk top, and IPad.     I opened a new file and title it:   Genealogy.   I begin to copy, cut and paste these notes and articles.   As I am doing this I realize the value of not having to have folders and sub folders and to not have to open each document individually to view each article!   After I am done I do a trial print to make sure this is going to work, and behold, I am very happy!   The print feature formats the articles according to subject and then I can save it to a PDF, which will then enable me to open it on my IPad ...

Just thinking about this project has been overwhelming to me!   I have 50+ years of my own history to write and 43 years of my husband’s history—that is 93 years total!    The thought that has kept going through my mind has been:   the longer you wait the more you are going to have to catch up !  New Year’s day, I got started by gathering and collecting information.   First I went through my documents that I already had on my lap top and copied and pasted them into Personal Historian—very quick and easy.   Next, I began gathering my flash drives and copied and pasted the information from them into Personal Historian.   Finally, I began gathering papers, letters, etc.   I only bring a few at a time to my work area so I don’t get too overwhelmed at the pile I have.   Since I can input the information in any order, I grab whatever looks interesting to me that day.   The software will automatically organize my topics and ch...

Here is what their website says:   “Personal Historian is unique software that helps you write the story of your life and of other individuals. Overwhelmed with the thought of writing a personal history? It breaks this seemingly monumental task into small, manageable pieces and then reconstructs it into a complete, publishable document.”(1) Here is what I say: love it, love it, love it! I currently have 7 projects, in Personal Historian that I am working on.   I have one for myself, my husband, my grandparents and then for my collection of family history articles and notes from classes. What do I love about this program? It organizes my information:   All I have to do is add the information to the program, by either typing it or by cutting and pasting from other documents on my computer.   With Personal Historian I don’t have allot of folders, or one really long Word document.   Personal Historian will sort my information by category (subject); ...

Just think, without our ancestors immigrating in 1886, we would not be celebrating this holiday today! From the website history.com:  "Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present." Source:  www.history.com