Grandma Theaux's Letter - Page Four

Mama Theaux was such an independent cuss, don't you think?  Now I know where I get my "strong will." I can just see her sneaking out to meet her "sweet heart," sweating bullets and praying to Mother Mary to not get caught. Shall we see what happens next...

Page 4
But one time I got a date with what my parent call high socity [sic]
They were the they are the bad one on his first and last date
he tried his luck and I well told
him I had never gone with that
kind, and he told me that the
boys I was gone with were the
cheep grade. I tod told him they
were cheep but clean and who
he was refering [sic] to is my husband now and he was and always will
be a clane [clean] man.
Why make everything wrong many
times what is wrong for us is
the the making of God, children
will will alway do the wrong first
because they think its right and
some time to do like the bad
kids. Now when I was 11 a student
at M. C. C A boy on our farm died
so some good people came to
pray for his soul at his parent
house, it was more fun then
prayre I knew better but I
followed with the rest, the rosery
was recited and being a convent
girl they put me to show the
other how to answer which I
did, I ask God for to forgive me now
come the littl [liturgy] of the semt [saint]
I was to answr answer in her mercy
on in us, pray for us as it was
But the gang mad [sic] a mermers and
me instead of corrected them I went
allong it was fun the poor lider [leader] God...

(To Be Continued)

Military Monday: Grand Dad Parker

Born at home in Meigs County, Ohio in 1905, George Vincent Parker was a slight man with a quiet personality. George exchanged vows with Ethel Heidenreich in 1925 and they remained married till Ethel's death in 1995. Eighteen years after their wedding, George took up arms against the Germans while stationed in France during World War II, he was 38 years old. It must have been a personal conflict for him; fighting against Germany while married to a woman of German heritage.

During the war years, Ethel and her son, Bill, struggled to make ends meet at home in Ohio. Bill was in high school and worked and night to help support the family. Then in January of 1945 Bill was drafted and sent to Germany.

Both men made it home alive and well. 

My Week at SLIG

This was the most amazing week! I got to visit with old friends and made a bunch of new ones. In addition I took several great classes and learned a lot.

Thomas W. Jones Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

In case you didn't know, this week I attended the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy held January 23 to January 27. SLIG is set up in "Tracks." There are six tracks. You choose a track and all the classes you take, all day long (from 8 in the morning till about 5 each night) are focused on one subject area. I attended Course 9 "Advanced Genealogical Methods" My instructor was Dr. Thomas Jones. Dr. Jones is a highly respected, very knowledgeable and slightly evil man. I say evil because I think he gets a kick out of trying to stump us. We had some very challenging cases to solve. Yes, there was HOMEWORK. He's a wonderful teacher and I had the best time.
Some of the other tracks offered were: Midwest U. S. Research; Swedish Research; Advanced New England Research; Advanced Research Tools: Land Records, and that's just a sampling.

For all of my genealogy pals out there, you should absolutely think about attending SLIG next year. The tracks are geared at all different expertise levels, so even if you are a beginner there is something for you. (For more on what SLIG is all about see: Susan Farrell Bankhead's blog, and Valerie Elkin's blog) Extra bonus, it is held right before a HUGE genealogy conference, RootsTech.

Christy Fillerup - Coordinator Extraordinaire 

That's right I'm still in Salt Lake City. I had five days of SLIG then I get four days of research at the Library to end all genealogical libraries (at least in my opinion) The Family History Library and then RootsTech will start. That's almost three full weeks of solid genealogy (plus eating and socializing with friends.) I'm in heaven.

Good Company at the banquet

The next SLIG will be held January 14-18, 2013. Registration opens on June 2, 2012. Sign up early to get the "early bird special" that's when prices are lower. (Sign up at www.infouga.org) Next year's tracks have already been announced (they may add some more "extra" classes as well.)  They are:
1) American Research and Records: Focus on Localities with Paula Stuart-Warren
2) Bridging the 1780-1830 Gap: New England to the Midwest (and points in between) with D. Joshua Taylor
3) German Research with F. Warren Bittner
4) A Genealogist's Guide to the Internet Galaxy with Thomas MacEntee
5) Researching in Washington, D. C. Without Leaving Home with Rick Sayre and Pamela Boyer Sayre

All Smiles

6) Hanging out a Shingle: Genealogy Marketing and Business Practices with Crista Cowan

Hope to see each and every one of you there.

Grandma Theaux's Letter - Page Three

This is the continuation of the transcription of my Grandmother Theaux's letter "to the younger generation." As you can see she wrote her letter(s) to my cousin Peggy on any available paper. This piece of paper was from an address book. Sometimes the letter(s) was written on the back of a grocery list or on an envelope.

For page one of this letter go here, and for page two go here. 

Here is page three. I know my family is enjoying reading these letters, I hope you do too. 

3

was it, we could not see are [or] con-

tack [sic] in any way. Only when 

my Dad was out of town, but 

belive [sic] me if he left town we 

would meet. Now one thing did 

happen one time I thought dad 

was out of town so I did contack [sic] 

my boy friend and as he was 

taking me home I saw the old 

man home, belive me I started 

praying. I prayed in french and 

the hail Marry I said upside 

down when I got to holy merry 

mother of god. In french I said 

st. Marrie Marde de Dei  

and belive it or not but I got home 

and he did not say a word. I did 

not get my [word striked out] beating. 

I had that faith in my B mother 

and from then he was my 

boy friend untill we married 

I never had a boy fri sweet 

heart But him. And I can 

vouch the same for him. 

I knew he loved me and he 

knew the same of me. Yes 

I had boy friend real friend 

some that would [conect?] me 

and my sweet heart when ever 

we could be together. That is what 

you call friend, they never tried 

to go out of [struck out word] line. Now they 

were just comond [sic] every day boy

To be continued. 

How To Keep It All Straight

Today I got an e-mail notice telling me that this was my last chance.  Apparently I had not responded to several e-mails telling me my membership dues were overdue. (Except that I have been cleaning up all those e-mails from last year, and there were no notices from this group.) I digress.

One of the things on my goal list was to check my memberships to see if they were all up to date. This would not be an issue if I could just check my bank statements or check book and see when I paid for aforesaid memberships. But that would be too easy, right?

See the problem is with hundreds or maybe thousands of members (depending on the group and whether or not it is local or national) who join at various times. It's a bookkeeping nightmare. You wonder why nobody ever volunteers to be the treasurer? So in answer to the problem most (if not all) organizations just note that you have paid and you are a member for "their year." That means if they designate their year as running from June to June your membership is good from whenever you paid till the next June. So if you paid in January, your membership is good till June. If you paid in October, your membership is good till June. If you paid in March your membership is good and paid up till June. Catching on?

Problem is, unless they pro-rate the dues, you pay the entire membership cost and are only paid up for 5, 8, or 3 months (respectfully.)

I don't have a problem with the math. I'm ok with supporting my societies and professional organizations. My problem is that then I don't know when I'm due to re-up. Every society and professional organization has a different due date. How to keep track?

There are a lot of organizations to remember to pay dues to:
Genealogical Speakers Guild
Association of Professional Genealogists
National Genealogical Society
Utah Genealogical Society
Sacramento Genealogical Society (Root Cellar)
Genealogical Association of Sacramento
California Genealogical Society
Southern California Genealogical Society
Lafayette Genealogical Society
Southwest Louisiana Genealogical Society

They all have different due dates.

How do you keep track? Anybody have any ideas on how to keep track? Is there an app that will alert me to due dates? You know like a alarm or something? Come on Techies, help a girl out.

Follow Up Friday - A Day Late and A Dollar Short

My mother always told me I ran, "A day late and a dollar short." I guess that's true. I'll probably be late to my own funeral. So the fact that I am a day late with this blog is not surprising. At least not to those who know me well.

So in a nutshell, here is how I did this week with my goals:
The update is:
Biz Cards and Website/Blog changes. Didn't happen. I am so disappointed. My printer did not deliver my cards to me before I left and did not return my calls. (When he is your brother-in-law what do you do?)
So I won't have my cards (or the art work for the site) till I get back in Feb. So the completion of this goal is put on hold.

I viewed/read and re-read the notes/homework for the class at SLIG (Advanced Methodology with Dr. Thomas Jones) My head is swimming.

I viewed/attended Marian Pierre-Louis webinar (presented by Legacy) on Massachusetts Ancestors. It was so good that I ordered the CD/DVD so I could hear it a second time.

I sent for two succession records for my Landry/Theaux line.

I ordered my films to be viewed when I get back.

Tomorrow I have a quiet day with nothing on the schedule except the welcome meeting for SLIG. So tomorrow I will work all day on my NGS Home Study class and my National Institute for Genealogical Studies classes.

Time to "fess up"
I didn't get the Organization of my genealogy files done. (or clean the house...you should see it...total disaster.)
I didn't get the Rhodes line "revisited" this will just have to go on the list for Feb.

All in all not bad for a "short" month. I only had 20 days in January. The rest of the month I am at conferences in Salt Lake City. While I am here I hope to get some of my classes done so the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

To all my goal buddies out there, see you next week.

New To RootsTech? Conference Newbie? Join Me

Hi, are you going to Roots Tech for the first time? Never been to the Family History Library? If you want to have a ready made friend waiting for you at RootsTech or want someone to show you around the Library. Let me know. Or if you know someone who would like to meet up, just tell them to contact me via Twitter (Kimmyvon) or FaceBook (Kim von Aspern).   I would be happy to meet up with you/them.

Looking forward to making many new friends and seeing some great friends from times past. (didn't want to say "old friends," not in this profession.)

Lisa Louise Cooke Interview Part II

Part Two of my Interview with Lisa Louise Cooke.

Even though Lisa's three daughters have not followed in her footsteps as a "computer geek" or a "genealogist" they have a deep respect and love of the family history. When they were young, Lisa told me, "they used to race to see who would find the tombstone first," when they visited a cemetery. And now, "all three have, at some point, been involved with my business as well." They have helped edit the books, run the booth at conferences, edit the show, and even hosted the show when Lisa couldn't.

When Lisa remarked that her oldest daughter says, "I know my job, when Mom dies I'm in charge of the tombstone and I know what's going on it. Her maiden name will be there."

So I asked Lisa, "speaking of tombstones, what goes on your tombstone?"
She laughingly responded, "I haven't thought about that in a long time. That I was a mother and a wife, and of course my maiden name. I haven't figured out beyond that, the frilly words that go with it." "But," she went on to say, "as deeply driven and passionate, I do think that I have actually found my life's purpose." Lisa feels extremely lucky to have her life's purpose tied up in her chosen career. However, she emphasized that, "the memories and the relationships I'm forging right now with my children and my husband trump all of that ten times over." She feels that it is important that you not get so connected to your ancestors that you ignore your descendants.  "My number one job is to create the memories for tomorrow to create these stories for the descendants to hear about."

More in my next post. Lisa discusses her special talent for taking technology, genealogy and family memories and merging them.

Interview with Lisa Louise Cooke Part I

What happens when a non-techie (me) and a techie (Lisa) sit down for a chat? I was a bit worried that we would run out of things to talk about. I shouldn't have worried. Lisa and I talked for hours. I have so much to tell you about, I may have to break this blog up and do several posts. There's just that much.

First off, I just want it duly noted that I can keep a secret. You see, Lisa told me all about her upcoming book when we met for lunch in December. I promised I wouldn't let the cat out of the bad. But now she has announced it so...

Check out her new book: Everything You Need To Know About Finding Your Family History in Newspapers. You can find out more about it by going here.

So, on with the story.

The first thing I asked Lisa was how she got started in genealogy. It seemed the logical place to start. Now, you may have heard the story, but I had not. Lisa related to me how when she was eight or nine years old she visited her grandparents in the Stockton, CA area and became intrigued with some scrapbooks she found.

She brought one of the scrapbooks to her grandmother and asked her to tell her who the people were in the photographs. Her grandmother, "stopped her work, threw the kitchen towel over her shoulder, wiped her hands on her apron" and began to write down on the back of an old envelope the names of Lisa's great grandparents. She spelled the names as she had heard them using the phonetic spellings. Lisa still has that envelope and is still gleaning clues from the information her grandmother provided all those years ago. That was it, Lisa said, "I was bit by the bug."

She spent the rest of that summer going through the photos with her grandmother. She learned about her grandfather's side of the family which was "American" back to the Revolutionary War. From then on Lisa "dabbled" in her family's history. She would write back and forth to her grandmother asking more questions and exchanging information. Lisa even saved her allowance to send off for death records and birth records. (Ok, teenage genealogists are a different breed.)

Genealogy took a back seat for a while as Lisa married and raised her kids. Then the internet "hit." It was perfect timing for Lisa, her kids were older and Lisa found her passion, her groove. She relates how she jumped into it "full boar" and adds, "I probably didn't come out of my home office for a month."

Did you know that Lisa is a "farmer?" Lisa learned that her great grandparents came to America with the dream of owning their own land to farm. Although they never fully realized the dream, Lisa feels that her "need" to "dig in the dirt" and "plant things" comes from that genetic code handed down from them.

Lisa also attributes her interest in that "family connection" to the fact that she grew up in a small family, with only one sister and divorced parents. "It's easy to grow up feeling like you're by yourself." she said, "I've always yearned for more bothers and sisters." (I offered her a few of mine, but she declined.)

More on the Lisa Louise Cooke Interview in the next post. Stay tuned.

Lisa Louise Cooke in Sacramento

Lisa Louise Cooke was in Sacramento last week (8 Jan 2012) to give a presentation on "Common Surname Search Strategies" using Google.

I have been doing Google searches for a long time but I learned something new. I always do from Lisa.

If you have never attended one of her presentations I highly recommend it. I also recommend her books; The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, Genealogy Gems, and Ultimate Research Strategies. And I'm happy to report that she is coming out with a brand new one called, Everything You Need To Know About Finding Your Family History in Newspapers. You can read more about it here.
It was nice to see Lisa again. I know you have been waiting for the blog with my interview of Lisa, well wait no longer it is the post following this one.Yes, I am unabashedly a Lisa Louise Cooke fan. ( Right after the SOPA blackout that is, don't know about it, read about it here and here.)

Have you listened to her podcast yet? You haven't? Well, what are you waiting for? Go here and have a listen, it's free (unless you love it so much you want to sign up for the Premium Podcast like I did.) And if you don't know what a podcast is that's ok, I didn't know either. Podcasts are like a radio show that you listen to through your computer or you can download them onto your iPod or MP3 player.

I'm not the only one who enjoyed Lisa's presentation. Several of my friends from my local genealogical society, Root Cellar, were there and this is what they have to say about it. Root Cellar Blog

Lisa Louise Cooke will be presenting in San Mateo in April and at the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree in June. For other places Lisa will be speaking see her website here.

Follow Up Friday - How I'm Doing - January Second Week

Here it is the second week of January and I am ripping right through my goals for January. I have to. I loose part of my month to a wonderful conference/institute. I am going to SLIG! (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy) I will be too busy there to work on much of my goal list.

My "goal buddy" Caroline Pointer over at the YourFamilyStories blog is ripping right through her's too. As are all the folks participating in Corn and Cotton's Meme.

Once again things I got done this week will be in red. Things I have put on the schedule for next week (or coming up later like the conferences) are in blue and those things that I had planned on doing and somehow they just didn't happen, well, those are in green. When everything is in RED I plan a well deserved ice cream coma.

         I attended a presentation on search stratigies presented by Lisa Louise Cooke on Sunday (Jan 8 at the Central Library in Sacramento. My friend Gloryann was supossed to go with me, but she bowed out. I did run into lots of other friends there. Sherri Finley from      blog was there, as was Sandy and Denise from Root Cellar (Sacramento Genealogy Society)
         I wrote a blog (and posted it today) about the field trip I attended (the Northern California Association of Professional Genealogists field trip to the Special Collections Department of the Library at the University of the Pacific.)
         I worked on three clients cases. And had one client meeting.
         I talked with and scheduled some speakers for the Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. (See the Facebook page (Genealogists in Second Life) for the line up of speakers for the year.
         I attended the first Second Life APG meeting for the year.  (Great presentation on Polish research by Sherlock)
         I researched & downloaded all the information I need to apply for my new business license. (I'll be finishing that up in February after I get back from the conferences. 
         I took care of personal life things like doctor's appointments, lawyer consultations, church work, aborist, grocery shopping, cooking, house cleaning, and reading.  


1. Before I attend those conferences I need to get my business cards made up with my new business name.
         The business cards have been designed and I am looking at the proofs on Monday. I'll make the final changes and they will be printed and in my hot little hands before SLIG. I've also started working on my new website and blog changes. 
2. I need to prepare my "homework" for SLIG (Tom Jones class. We haven't even got there and we have homework)
         I have read through and am in the process of charting out the homework. I will be Skyping my "Tom Jones Class Buddy" Kathryn this coming week to discuss.
3. Gather together what I will need to do research in the Family History Library (I have about 4 days available to do research there between SLIG and RootsTech)
         I am gathered and set to go. I will be working on my certification project and my Parker family. I also promised a friend that I would spend half a day gathering stuff she forgot to get when she was there in Oct. 
4. Make a list of things I want to learn during RootsTech
         This is done. Now if I can just find a willing victim friend to help me learn what goes over my head in the lectures. (I've also plotted out my classes and unless I get distracted by "bright and shiny things" I have decided ....oh wait, Thomas is speaking there, and I might want to hear Lisa Alzo there...)
5. I have a deadline of Jan 8 to submit my class handouts for the two lectures I will be giving in Redding on Feb 25.
         This is done and I am waiting to hear back if they meet her needs. I have also finished tweaking the presentations. Will check them again closer to the event.
6. Write six blogs for January (I have set six blogs per month as my overall goal and I feel that is very doable. Six blogs per month equals 72 blogs and I posted 77 last year)
        I have posted five posts (counting this one but not counting Tombstone Tuesday). I have six more that I have partially written and they will be posted this month as well. So I have met and exceeded my goal. Plus I will probably blog about the SLIG course. 
7. I will be attending a Webinar by Thomas McEntee and two Webinars put on by Legacy in January
         Attended Thomas' wonderful webinar and I will be viewing the other two this coming week. 
8. I will be attending SLIG (both 7 & 8 go towards my educational goals for the year)
         Working on my homework as mentioned above. I am looking forward to this year, I think it will be a challenge to me. 
9. I plan on getting three classes done on the NGS Home Study Course in January
         Didn't work on this. I will try to work on class number two on Saturday or Sunday.
10. I have set a goal of finishing two classes from National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
         Ok, ran into some major technical glitches and had to take my computer to the doctor this week to correct them. (Yes, I was without my computer for a whole day, suffered withdrawals.) But now I am able to access my classes and I am enrolled in three classes. So I better get a shuffle in my duffle  and get a move on.  
11. The organization of my genealogy files (already in progress)
         Ok, once again I have to say: Didn't work on this at all this week. Hope to get to it next week. It's on the schedule. I'm so bad. I keep procrastinating this very much needed step. Someone want to come help? 
12. To check on my various genealogy memberships (societies, NGS, APG, Speakers Guild, etc) and be sure they are all up to date.
         Renewed my membership with Genealogy Speakers Guild, and Root Cellar, (my local society) all my other memberships are good.
13. Transcribe the Succession Papers (It's like a will) for Irma Domingue (wife of Slyvester Romero) for my certification work.
         Completed four more pages this week. Total stands at seven pages (It's 20 pages long.) 
14. Review my Rhoades family genealogy and see if there is something in that research I can use for my certification.
         Didn't work on this. But there is one more week
15. Send for two different succession records for Landry and Romero (for use in Kinship part of my certification work)
        Didn't get to this either. Don't know why. This should be easy to cross off the list. NEXT WEEK.
16. Order three films for review in Feb. from my Family History Center
         I will do this right before my trip, but I have looked through the card catalog and decided which ones I want to order. 


That's the week in review. More and more of it is turning red. Yee Ha. I wasn't going to keep with the color coding thing but several people have told me it works. And I have to admit. I can't wait to see the whole page turn red.
How are you doing with your goals? Chime in, we're in this together, right? To see how other's are doing with their goals check out Corn and Cotton for links.

Association of Professional Genealogists - Second Life Chapter

This year I assumed the role of President for the Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). This group meets once a month on the second Thursday. (That's coming up this Thursday, 12 Jan at 5:30 Pacific time).

We meet in Second Life time, which happens to be the same as California time. So if you hear that we're meeting at 5:30 SL time (Second Life time) that is the same as saying we're meeting at 5:30 Pacific time.

You don't have to be a professional. You might just be thinking about making that transition. This would be a great place to ask all the questions you want of people who have made the transition or are in the process of making it. 

You do not need to be a member of APG to join us. But we hope you will consider joining once you see how great our meetings are.


Meeting in Second Life is the perfect way to attend an APG meeting if you don't live anywhere near where your regional meetings are held or if there is not a chapter in your area. It is also a great way to attend a presentation or discussion about genealogy, sort of like attending a webinar. And what a great place to meet other genealogists and talk about problems your having or things you have discovered, as well as get advice from those more experienced then you. We meet at the "Just Genealogy Fire Pit" for the APG meeting. You can also access a calendar there that tells you about other genealogy events in Second Life. 

It's seems a little weird at first since this all takes place in virtual reality. At first, a lot of folks thought that because our "avatars" meet in a gaming like atmosphere that we were "playing games." Nothing could be further from the truth. While we don't believe that having fun and doing genealogy or being professional have to be mutually exclusive, we do take our genealogy pretty seriously. Once you get over the fact that your avatar has a name different from your "real" name, and the fact that you can be forever young and thin, or a teddy bear if you want, then it's just Genealogy from there; something we are all comfortable with. 

Our secretary/treasurer GenuinelyLAF wrote about Second Life in her article Thankful Thursday - Book Club in Second Life on her blog 1 Ancestry 2 Little Time. In that post there is a link to Dear Myrtle's free webinar "How to get a Second Life" which I highly recommend. Dear Myrtle will teach you all the ins and outs of Second Life. The learning curve is not high, even I managed it. You can also get help with how to get around in Second Life from Genie Weezles on Monday nights at the Fire Pit at 5:00 SL Time. (That's Second Life time...are you catching on?) She teaches the "newbies" how to walk and talk and sit and stuff like that. You can contact her on Facebook (she's Tami Glatz in Real Life) and let her know you need to be transported to the FirePit. She can answer your questions too. You do not need a web cam or a microphone to participate. We use a "chat board" that you type your questions and answers into. 

You can also ask questions on the Facebook page "Genealogists in Second Life." There is always someone willing to help. 


Here is the Link to Second Life if you are ready to jump right in. Don't let the vampire on the cover page put you off. We ignore such things for the most part. Genealogy is enough of a virtual reality for me.


Hope to see a whole lot of new folk there either Monday night or on Thursday night. 


~Kim  aka Saraphina Windrum (in SL)

Follow Up Friday - How I'm Doing On My January Goals

So here it is the first Friday of the month. This is Follow Up Friday where those of us who are participating in Corn and Cotton's Blogging Meme post what they achieved towards their 2012 goals. In my last "goal" post I broke down my year goals and posted what I planned to work on in January. I think I did fairly well this week. I'm tired and I will be glad to see date night tonight, but for the most part I am satisfied. I still have a couple of things I want to get done this weekend, (lecture to attend, client work to do) but for the most part I am pleased with my week. I spent a fair amount of time scheduling things into my day planner and for the most part stuck to what I had scheduled. I really liked the structure this provided. Furthermore, I feel the accountability the Meme is providing is just what I need to keep me on task. (Thanks Stephanie) So without further ado, here are my accomplishments.

Things I got done this week will be in red. Things I have put on the schedule for next week (or coming up later like the conferences) are in blue and those things that I had planned on doing and somehow they just didn't happen, well, those are in green. So far the New Year resolution momentum is serving me well and I feel I got a lot done. I addition to those things you will find below:
         I will be attending a lecture presented by Lisa Louise Cooke on Sunday at the Central Library in Sacramento (with my friend and cohort in crime, Gloryann). 
         I attended the Northern California Association of Professional Genealogists field trip to the Special Collections Department of the Library at the University of the Pacific. (More about this in the next blog.)
         I worked on two clients cases.
         I talked with and scheduled some speakers for the Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
         I attended a meeting in Second Life. 
         I took care of personal life things like Doctor's appointments, lawyer consultations, church work, plumbers, chimney sweep, aborist, grocery shopping, cooking, house cleaning, and reading.  


1. Before I attend those conferences I need to get my business cards made up with my new business name.
         I ordered my new business cards on Tuesday. 
2. I need to prepare my "homework" for SLIG (Tom Jones class. We haven't even got there and we have homework)
         Still need to do this
3. Gather together what I will need to do research in the Family History Library (I have about 4 days available to do research there between SLIG and RootsTech)
         This is on the schedule for Monday
4. Make a list of things I want to learn during RootsTech
         This is done
5. I have a deadline of Jan 8 to submit my class handouts for the two lectures I will be giving in Redding on Feb 25.
         This is done
6. Write six blogs for January (I have set six blogs per month as my overall goal and I feel that is very doable. Six blogs per month equals 72 blogs and I posted 77 last year)
         If you don't count the Tombstone Tuesday post (which I don't, it didn't require much writing) I have    posted three times this month already (with this post counting as one). I have 2 others all done and waiting to post. So that is five out of the goal of six. 
7. I will be attending a Webinar by Thomas McEntee and two Webinars put on by Legacy in January
         Because of a doctor's appointment that ran late I missed the Webinar I was to attend on Wednesday. But I will review it from Legacy archives (or if it is not available I will find another.)
8. I will be attending SLIG (both 7 & 8 go towards my educational goals for the year)
         Can't wait
9. I plan on getting three classes done on the NGS Home Study Course in January
         Finished Lesson Number One today. (One down, two to go to reach my goal)
10. I have set a goal of finishing two classes from National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
         Discovered that the class I was half way through has expired so I need to re-up for it. So a little more time involved. I can't just click into the website and off I go. Hoped to have it finished before the next one began. So this will be addressed next week. Meanwhile, my next class begins on Jan 9. 
11. The organization of my genealogy files (already in progress)
         Didn't work on this at all this week. Hope to get to it next week. It's on the schedule.
12. To check on my various genealogy memberships (societies, NGS, APG, Speakers Guild, etc) and be sure they are all up to date.
         I just put this on the schedule for next week.
13. Transcribe the Succession Papers (It's like a will) for Irma Domingue (wife of Slyvester Romero) for my certification work.
         Got three pages done this week. (It's 20 pages long.) 
14. Review my Rhoades family genealogy and see if there is something in that research I can use for my certification.
         Didn't work on this.
15. Send for two different succession records for Landry and Romero (for use in Kinship part of my certification work)
         This is on the schedule for next week. 
16. Order three films for review in Feb. from my Family History Center
         I will do this right before my trip so that they arrive about the same time I get home. I don't look at films at the Family History Library since I can do that at home. I'd rather spend my time looking at the books and other sources that I can't get at home. 


Well, that's it for this week. Wow, what a colorful blog. Although the color coding thing works, I think I need to find a better way to show my progress. Any ideas anyone? However, on the achievement scale Not Bad, if I do say so myself. I have a good feeling that I can achieve all that I have set up to achieve in January. What do you think? How are you doing? (Caroline, my goal buddy, how are you doing?)

Tombstone Tuesday

Grant found me this tombstone online while surfing around. Don't know why he was looking at tombstones. He's not a genealogist. Perhaps he's trying to figure out where to "plant" me after he gets the bills from RootsTech.

Breaking It Down: Genealogy Goals for January

I decided to break down my goals even further.
So each month on Motivation Monday (the first Monday of the Month) I will post what I hope to accomplish that month. Each Friday (on Follow up Friday) I will post how I am coming along.

So here goes: These are my goals for the month of January 2012

A lot of things need to happen in January since I will be attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) immediately followed by RootsTech in February.
But attending those two events accomplishes part of my educational goals for the year.

Goals:
1. Before I attend those conferences I need to get my business cards made up with my new business name.
2. I need to prepare my "homework" for SLIG (Tom Jones class. We haven't even got there and we have homework)
3. Gather together what I will need to do research in the Family History Library (I have about 4 days available to do research there between SLIG and RootsTech)
4. Make a list of things I want to learn during RootsTech
5. I have a deadline of Jan 8 to submit my class handouts for the two lectures I will be giving in Redding on Feb 25.
6. Write six blogs for January (I have set six blogs per month as my overall goal and I feel that is very doable. Six blogs per month equals 72 blogs and I posted 77 last year)
7. I will be attending a Webinar by Thomas McEntee and two Webinars put on by Legacy in January
8. I will be attending SLIG (both 7 & 8 go towards my educational goals for the year)
9. I plan on getting three classes done on the NGS Home Study Course in January
10. I have set a goal of finishing two classes from National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
11. The organization of my genealogy files (already in progress)
12. To check on my various genealogy memberships (societies, NGS, APG, Speakers Guild, etc) and be sure they are all up to date
13. Transcribe the Succession papers for my certification work
14. Review my Rhoades family genealogy and see if there is something in that research I can use for my certification
15. Send for two different succession records for Landry and Romero (for use in Kinship part of my certification work)
16. Order three films for review in Feb. from my Family History Center

Well, that's it for now. I think. It seems like a lot, but some of them are just short little things like ordering films so I think I can manage it. Check in with me on Fridays and see how I'm doing. Oh, and check in at the blog Corn and Cotton to see how other's are doing with their goals. See you on Friday.

Genealogy Goals for 2012

Ok, I'm joining in on the fun.

Stephanie, over at the "Corn and Cotton" blog has a group of us "gathering together" to cheer each other on and keep the motivation ramped up while we conquer our genealogy goals during the new year.

So the first step is to post our goals. Oh MY!!!!!

It's a scary thought to put it out there in the open for all to see but, gulp, if my friend Shelley Bishop can do it over at "A Sense of Family" blog then so can I. The worst thing that can happen is that I don't meet all my goals, right?

So here goes.

My first goals involve ORGANIZATION:
1. Clean out my e-mail files/folders
I was real good about setting up the folders but I've gotten into the very bad habit of just dumping mail into the folders without looking at it. Not personal notes, mind you, but the stuff I'm on mailing lists for. I started on this today, so already I have accomplished something.
2. Finish organizing and color coding my personal (vs Client) genealogy files.
I am about a quarter of the way through with this, and I hope to have it done by the end of the week.
3. I have some data on a database program that did not gedcom transfer well to my other database programs, so I need to clean that up.
4. Scan (documents, photos, everything) I'm not saying I'm going paperless, but I think I need to heavily reduce.

My next set of goals involve WRITING:
1. I would like to say I will post to my blog 3 times a week, but most weeks just don't work out for that kind of goal so my goal will be to post 6 or more posts per month.
2. I would like to put my journalism degree to work. So with that thought in mind my goal is to write for and be published in my local genealogical society's magazine.

Goal set number three is all about EDUCATION:
1. I plan to attend SLIG, RootsTech, NGS, FGS, Jamboree (S. CA) and hopefully Elizabeth Shown Mills class at Samford (IGHR). This one is easy for me, just time consuming, and costly. I'm an information junkie, and a conference addict.
2. I will finish up my NGS Home Study Course.
3. I will complete at least 5 classes through National Institute of Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
4. I will attend at least 4 (or more) Webinars in 2012

Then there are my RESEARCH goals:
1. I want to jump into researching my husband's family. His father is 85 (this month) and still sharp. But you know what happens if you don't ask the questions in a timely fashion; so this is the year for the Parker research. For 2012 I will be doing the interviews and artifact gathering.
2. Theaux: this is the family focus for my attempt at my certification (haven't started the clock yet.) I want to devote more time to this, so I am setting the goal of 15 hours (or more) a week toward this family and my certification. (I may adjust to devoting more time here part way through the year as other goals are completed)
3. Technically this isn't research, really it is more in line with analyzing, but I need to develop some "Time Lines." So I will create time lines for the paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents of the Parker line, the Theaux line, and the von Aspern line.
4. I don't know if this goal falls under "writing" or "research" but I've decided to put it here. I plan on getting better at my research reports. I got better during 2011 at keeping my research logs but fell down consistently on writing up my research reports. Maybe if I talk into my digital recorder, talking myself through the analysis and plans for further research and then just transcribe the recording. I've just got to find what works for me. I find writing reports tedious. I'm just not disciplined enough I guess: who would have thunk it.

And lastly my BUSINESS/PROFESSIONAL goals:
This is the BIG category. Last year (2011) I started lecturing and I really enjoy it. I still take on clients too, and I've got a couple of side projects going on. So this year I have quite a bit of work to accomplish towards establishing my business.
1. Name change
2. Website
3. Business License (under new name)
4. Advertising
5. Business Cards
In addition, I have some goals professionally:
6. To develop 15 more lectures
7. To increase the amount of times in the year I am hired (paying gig) to speak/teach. (In 2011 I lectured 10 times; I got paid 3 times)
8. Continue working with my clients (currently have 4 clients) don't really want to increase that number for now, there are just too many other things in the works.

Well, I think that is about it for my genealogy goals. I'm sure I've forgotten something, and I have many more goals for 2012 but those are my personal goals and are not for publication.