A New Year - A New Commitment?

It's the start of another year and we all will be making our New Year's Resolutions at midnight tonight. But before I make new resolutions, I want to look back on those that I made at the beginning of 2018 and see how I did. In 2018, I resolved to do a better job blogging. Well, I managed to write 13 posts last year - equal to what I wrote in 2017. Another resolution I made was to increase my genealogy speaking opportunities. 2018 was a great year for speaking, I managed to present at almost 30 events during the year, covering most of the east coast of Florida from West Palm Beach to Amelia Island. Other resolutions that I made related to my health. I resolved to make a better effort of exercising and eating right. During 2018 I lost a total of 40 pounds and now weigh the same I did back in college when I was an athlete on the University's crew team. My running has improved as well as my endurance. Not bad for a 50-year old (wow, when did that happen?).

So, what do I resolve to do in 2019? Mainly keep doing more of what I did in 2018. I already have nearly 20 events scheduled in 2019, including a talk at RootsTech 2019 in Salt Lake City. I have been joking that my talk is the last hour of the last day in the last room at the end of the hallway, but at least I am speaking. I also want to write more in my blog(s) but there are so many other things going on. I will continue to plan and promote our local Indian River Genealogy Conference, speak at a variety of events, and maintain an active social media presence where I have provided information to many people helping them to do their research. So, maybe I will convert more of my talks to blog posts or use the information from the social media posts to provide more details on specific resources. - We'll just have to see what happens.

Have you thought about your resolutions? Or maybe you have decided you don't want to make specific plans for the new year. Even if you aren't into resolutions, the list below may give you some ideas on how to fit in more genealogy time or help others with their research.

1) FamilySearch - Take 15 minutes each day to connect a new source to your tree or if you have more time, search through unindexed digital images for your ancestors and connect the records to the individuals.

2) FamilyTree app - Have you downloaded the FamilyTree app on your phone or tablet? The app lets you work on your research anytime you have a free couple minutes. Maybe you have to wait in a doctor's office or pick the kids up from school. Use those minutes to add records to your tree or add more relatives.

3) Memories app - Do you have a box of old photos (or maybe recent photos) of deceased ancestors? Why not use the Memories app to copy the pictures and attach them to individuals in your FamilySearch family tree? It doesn't take very much time to copy a handful of pictures and you can tag them later when you have more time.

4) Billion Graves app - Do you live near a cemetery? Are you looking for an excuse to get outside and enjoy a nice walk? The Billion Graves app allows you to take photos of headstones and geo-references them so they can be mapped on the Billion Graves website. Once you take the photos they are uploaded to the site and others can transcribe them. If you aren't able to get out, you can help transcribe the images that others have collected.

5) Findagrave app - Findagrave.com also has an app that will upload the photos you take in a cemetery.

6) Index records - FamilySearch has hundreds of thousands of images that need to be indexed so others can find them through the search process. Once the records are indexed and reviewed, they become available to search and also provide hints for records on FamilySearch. It usually takes less than 30 minutes to complete a batch of images. Some images take much less time. There are many other indexing projects going on beside those at FamilySearch, so find one and participate. The more records that are made available, the more research we can successfully do.

7) Help plan a conference - Oh boy, that is a big task. I have initiated two different conferences over the last 10 years. These take months of planning but they also allow you to get to know others with your interest better. Both of the conferences I started required cooperation between the Family History Center and our local genealogical societies. One conference is now in its 9th year while the other is preparing for its 3rd conference. We have about 250 people attend each of these events. You don't have to start that big. You can start small with a church group or other organization and see how it goes. I have planning materials available that I can send out to anyone who is interested. This is a great way to get more people interested in our addiction.

So what are you planning on doing in 2019?

Happy New Years!

1-1-2009 - It seems like just a few weeks ago we were celebrating the beginning of 2008. As we get older the years seem to get shorter and we never seem to be able to keep all of our resolutions we make each year. So, knowing this, what have I resolved to do?

This year I resolve to do better on FamilySearch Indexing. I have been slacking on this in the past and have only completed 3350 records since it first started. I read the news about Alta Mesa Stake in Mesa, Arizona completing over 4 million records last year. That is a huge accomplishment. We need to make sure everyone we know is doing something to help the cause of indexing. It doesn't take much time to complete one set of records each week. If we all did just one set of records (approximately 25-50 names) each week, each one of us would complete 1300-2600 records each year.  Those of us who have more time can easily double this number.

This year I resolve to do better keeping my journal. Journals are an important record of our times and will help our descendents understand what our lives were like. Just think how useful it would be to you to have a copy of a journal written by your great grandparents. I do try to keep up with mine but it is hit and miss. Sometimes I go for a week writing every day. Other times it is 3 or 4 weeks between entries. I have only been keeping my journal since July 9, 2006 and it is currently only 72 typed pages.

This year I resolve to exercise regularly. While doing my family medical history (see my blog for December 22, 2008 for ideas) I discovered that the cause of death of many of my ancestors is listed as of cerebral hemorrhages, diabetes, heart disease and various cancers. Many of these diseases can be prevented by being more physically fit. We bought a treadmill for Christmas and I have been using it several times each week. I have already noticed that my belts fit a notch or two smaller.

Sometimes the worst thing to do is be over ambitious in your resolutions. I took a look at my suggested resolutions for last year. The following are what I put in my January 2008 Family History Newsletter as examples of what we can do in the new year - http://milesmeyer.googlepages.com/January12008.pdf

1) To organize and label all your photographs.

• For the techies—scan all of your photographs, label them and create backup copies stored in a safe location.

2) Rededicate yourself to writing in your journal.

• Techies, why don’t you use that new video camera that you got for Christmas to begin creating a video journal.

3) To keep up with the new genealogy resources and attend a genealogy class. It is not enough now to just know all of the research techniques to find records in the court house. The internet is bringing us new ways to research on a daily basis. Learn how to effectively use these new websites.

4) Find sources for everyone in at least one direct line of ancestors.

5) Dedicate a few hours per week or a whole day each month to work on my family research.

6) Keep track of correspondence.

• Techies, make sure you have replied to all of the e-mails and file them away in folders for future reference.

7) Get organized. Look through that pile of papers and see what you may have forgotten about.

8) Genealogy is more than names and dates. Find out about the lives of your ancestors.

9) Put your research to good use. Share it with others.

10) Volunteer to help others. Make your time in the Family History Center a productive time. Help others by joining with sites such as Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (http://www.raogk.org/)

I hope everyone had a good 2008 and wish everyone a great 2009! Only 364 more days until 2010.