I have decided to keep birth, marriage, land, military and death records because I don't see this information changing. I am going to clear off my desk, stock up on printer ink, box up my old research notebooks and files, set up new research notebooks and take a deep breath. I am really looking forward to this "do-over". I am trying to go to an all digital format but I just can't bring myself to go cold turkey! I like filling out family record group sheets and coordinating pedigree charts.
One of my favorite blank forms is this family group sheet found at Ancestry http://c.mfcreative.com/pdf/trees/charts/famgrec.pdf. Both of these forms are in a landscape format which makes it easy to attach to a file folder. The Ancestry pedigree chart does the does the numbering for me which I consider a big help.
I also like this Family Group Record that I found years ago inside one of my copies of Family Tree Magazine. I can record all the information for a family including names of the husband & wife, their parents names,occupations, religion and up to 12 children and their spouse's name, date and place of marriage. You can find this chart at this link http://familytreemagazine.com/upload/images/PDF/ancestor.pdf. Both charts can be downloaded in a pdf document for free.
I take the blank ones to the local copy place and I have each printed on one piece of paper and I also have them enlarged. I plan to spend tomorrow filling out family record group sheets and coordination pedigree charts. I will then place them on the front page of each notebook I use for my research of these families.
I really like the concept of a spreadsheet for a research log but I have a difficult time with them because I can't really write down immediate questions and notes that come to mind. Looking through my old research notebooks I realized I am very consistent in how I record the information I find. I am one of those people who needs to "see" what I have done and what I need to do. I also like to make notes, jot down questions and sources as I work which is why I will probably stick to a paper for now. An example of how I write my information as I go can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ikbkTTVz7DAET0yjcYp7oukm--RpzMVHDgLL2gP8a7g/edit?usp=sharing.
When I started my blog, Dawning Genealogy back in June I built a tree on Ancestry to go along with it. I have made sure to document it well and it is my direct line. I see no reason to change this right now. My "do-over" also includes my children's paternal lines so I have decided to start a new tree on Ancestry for these lines as well.
I am still debating which software I want to use. I have been playing around with free versions of Ancestral Quest, My Heritage and Roots Magic, to see if I like them over the two software programs I already own, Legacy and Family Tree Maker 2014. All of these programs have features I like and dislike but I am most comfortable with FTM 2014. For now, I will probably stick with FTM 2014 and in my spare time add information to the free versions to see which I like best.
I wish everyone good luck with their Genealogy Do-Over!
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