• Everyone agreed that organization, staying on-task and information overload are time drains when it comes to genealogy research. Social media also distracts us, and catching up after being away from research steals time, too.
  
  
• Organization was a theme. Be organized from the start—using a research log to keep track of your to-do list for each family line and place you're searching really helps. At least one participant uses Evernote to keep her research log. Trello also was recommended (especially for those who think visually).
  
  
• Keep track of negative search results, too (i.e., you didn't find the record you were looking for) so you don't repeat the same search. Track your online searches of growing databases, so you can go back to look for new results.
  
  
• Schedule your genealogical research time on your calendar, just like any other appointment you have.
  
  
• When visiting a repository, plan ahead, use online tools (such as a library catalog and visitor information) to prepare, and call to verify hours, what you can bring in, etc. This gives you more research time.
  
  
• To-do list apps chatters use include Remember the Milk, Any.do and Wunderlist.
  
  
• Sometimes getting away from home to research is better, because you face fewer distractions.
  
  
• Set a research goal for the week (or a period of time that works for you).

We'll host another Virtual Genealogy Conference this Fall, so stay tuned! In the mean time, check out our Organize Your Genealogy One-Week Workshop, taking place March 15-22.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013 3:55:51 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• If you’d like to start the scavenger hunt now, go to The Houstory Hearth blog’s special Scavenger Hunt Page. There you’ll find information about the hunt, the prizes, and the list of the other three blogs you’ll need to visit today.

• If you already know what you’re doing, here’s the Heirloom Registry ID Code you need to obtain my secret word: CEFD-304-562-5138-2011

• If this is your final stop for Hunt No. 1, be sure to submit your entry form with your secret words before Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at midnight PST. Instructions for Hunt No. 2, which starts on March 6, will be posted at the Houstory Hearth blog at 12 a.m. EST on March 6. Good luck—and happy hunting!

Monday, March 04, 2013 11:15:32 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• The University of Edinburgh's Italo-Scottish Research Cluster online archive gathers material from the 1880s, the era of the first Italian mass migration to Scotland, to the present. Right now, you can see old photos of Italo-Scots, but check back for more additions. There's also a page where you can get links to learn more about this little-studied migration.    

• The new Legacies of British Slave Ownership database holds the names of 46,000 slave owners in British colonies who received compensation for the loss of "property" when Britain abolished slavery in 1833 (it outlawed the trade in 1807). The database doesn't name slaves, but it could aid those who are tracing African ancestors by researching the slave-owning families. Search the database here. 

• The Civil War Trust's annual Park Day takes place Saturday, April 16 at more than 100 participating battlefields in 24 states. Volunteers help clean and maintain these important Civil War sites by raking leaves, picking up trash, painting signs, clearing trails and more. To learn how you can help, visit the trust's Park Day page and click on the name of the participating Civil War site you're interested in (note that some sites are holding their volunteer events on alternate dates).

Friday, March 01, 2013 11:05:04 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills
  
  
• The Family Tree Sourcebook by the editors of Family Tree Magazine
  
  
• The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy edited by Loretto Szucs and Sandra Luebking
  
  
• How to Archive Family Keepsakes by Denise May Levenick
  
  
• A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
  
  
• Women and the Law of Property in Early America by Marylynn Salmon ("helps when looking at court records and understanding how women were treating in regards to their rights to own property," said the chatter, and it covers "1750 to 1830ish")
  
  
• Finding Your Father's War by Jonathan Gawne ("for researching WWII soldiers")
  
  
• Everyday Life in the 1800s by Marc McCutcheon
  
  
• The Family Tree Problem Solver by Marsha Hoffman Rising ("the perfect book for when you're stuck on a line and need inspiration"), which also comes in a digital version
  
  
• Reading Early American Handwriting by Kip Sperry ("the first part explains about the differences in writing styles, while the last three-quarters of the book has examples of documents with the transcriptions")
  
  
• Genealogists Handbook for New England Research edited by Michael J. LeClerc
  
  
• The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook and The Sleuthbook for Genealogists by Emily Anne Croom
  
  
• Finding Indiana Ancestors by M. Teresa Baer and Geneil Breeze
  
  
• Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History by Katherine Scott Sturdevant
  
  
• Black's Law Dictionary, 4th edition ("the 4th edition is the most recent one that still has the old terms, as I understand")
  
  
• No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting by Anne MacDonald, recommended by a chatter who is into knitting
  
  
• Your Digital Afterlife....When Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter Are Your Estate, What's Your Legacy? by Evan Carroll and John Romano
  
  
• Norwegians on the Prairie by Odd Lovoll
  
  
• Italian Genealogical Records: How to use Italian Civil, Ecclesiastical and Other Records in Family History Research by Trafford Cole
  
  
• Only a Few Bones by John Philip Colletta
  
  
• Finding Italian Roots by John Philip Colletta
  
  
• The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England ("written like a travel guide for people traveling from today back in time to the 14th century")
  
  
• Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg
  
  
• The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy by Val D. Greenwood

Thursday, February 28, 2013 9:29:32 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [5]

• tricks for reading German script and type
• resources for building your vocabulary of German terms and deciphering abbreviations
• a methodology for solving the quirks of the printed Gothic/Fraktur typeface
• strategies for transcribing and translating the handwritten German cursive script

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 10:23:54 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]