Genealogy Chat

I do not have a pen or pencil on my desk!! Nor any paper to write on. Merry

I shall name names. I blame Terrick Fitzhugh (he's dead now, so this can't hurt him!) for saying that there was only one way to keep records. His method was far more complicated than the one I had happily used for years. I tried, I failed. Now my notes are in scores of identical notebooks, very few of them written up. I also blame computers. Whenever I generate information for other people, I'm amazed both by the odd facts I have noted and the details I've omitted. I used to have A4 sheets specially printed with the feint running vertically and I drew the trees by hand. This is the equivalent of revising by rewriting your notes, and certainly, that information is much more firmly fixed in my mind. Or could it be, like everyone else, that I'm losing my marbles?

I'm a Shove It. Shove it in that file, shove it in that one, sort it out later. It never gets done. Been promising myself for ages to get down and actually do the damned things but keep finding excuses not to. Yes I've got the coloured files and yes I've got the box file - but why is my desk permanently littered? In the pre-computer days I just typed out each family. Come the computer and the facility to find out more and it's all downhill. Could be something to do with age too I suppose!! As the advert used to say 'Maybe tomorrow Jack'. I'm not holding my breath though.

Poor Moe! Its not that your getting worse...quite the opposite really! You see, you have been so brilliant at your research that you have gathered so many names your brain is overloaded :) If you weren't doing so well, you wouldn't have so much to remember and recall. Thats my excuse anyway :D From the woman who has accidentally sent for the same birth certificate three times now.... hehehe

I sorted through the certs I had that were the wrong ones. To my horror, I had got two of them wrong TWICE!! How careless can you get? I have listed them now. Margaret

Hi Moe, No gal you are not going round the bend, nor is it called old age. I have, and still do, this myself, but i look on it as a way of finding my way around difficult obstacles. Yep, so you use a little more paper, but then is it not better to have two copies than none at all. Kay

Everyone has their own method and you have to find one that works for you. I find it best to put all the info in my family tree programme. That way it does not get lost. The worst habit I had was writting things on scraps of paper then spending half my time looking through a mountain of scrap paper. Now I write everything in a notebook at least I can look through that notebook and find what I want., beats those bits of paper everywhere. File all your BMD certs in clear sleeves in one file in date order and put copies of those certs in your family files. That way just look through your big file when you want to order and you can make sure you do not have the cert already. Good Luck Irene

Siblings can be a pain, my grandparents Patrick and Mary had 13 children with names such as Patrick,Mary Ann Joseph,James when these children came to have their children what do they go and do yes call their children Patrick,Mary,Ann,Joseph. I'm no better my son is Patrick James,at least my daughter is Elaine Nicole. Ann

I have a lot of my info on Excel on my home computer. You can format cells differently, so I make the cell bold if I have the B-cert (or equivalent), and underlined if I have the D-cert (or equivalent). For M-certs (or equivalent) I just make the cell-border joining the names into a heavier line. I do also include ''[cert]'' next to the info in the record - just to make sure. And that's something most family tree software would allow, I believe. Christine

I keep all my main branches in wallets, blue for dads side and pink for mums side, and the first page is dads b/c then m/c then d/c and then on to his dad his mum and so on but it is the rest of them, the missing links, that annoy me, all the siblings, the williams and Marys the Patrick and anns, i sometimes forget to put dates next to them so i end up with pages of notes about william born 1856 intermingling with William born 1830s both married to Mary, i try to sort them out, then i come across a link ask on here connect the link and then realise it was the wrong link, see i am confusing you lot now!!...MOE!

I think that the key is to remain organised. I keep all of my research in plastic wallets in large A4 files, with dividers to separate the different branches of the family. Also invest in a good software package - Family Historian is excellent. With all of this organisation I can still get myself into a mess! There can't be that many people who can devote their whole time to this hobby.

Don't worry Moe , i have piles of sheets on my desk, and i keep searching through the same pieces over and over again, someone on here once said to get wallpaper and use the back to write on so that you can see the big picture, haveing done this i still seem to have a mountain (no pun) of paper still, i put it down to age. There are days when i think i'm just going round in circles like a dog chasing his tail. If you ever find the solution i would be greatful if you could pass it on. So before i disappear up my own !!!!!!!!!!!! Must do some housework. Ann

Yes ! And I,v bought certs I already had because I had gone gaily off on a roll& not filing thing as I,ve gone along, only recognise a certs details when its received. Its over enthusiasm sometimes. Shirley

I think it's the whole family tree thing. I have the same problems and I consider myself quite young (32). I've been doing it on and off for about 6 years and I never seem to know where I am as I need to leave things at short notice to do something for the kids. That's why I've just added my details on here so I can add notes as I go along

I have been researching over a year now, and feel more like a newby ever day. I post threads and forget about them i spend £££s searching sites for someone from my tree then when i look in my notebook, there they are! i have had them all along, i think i am getting bored, it hasn't got that same kick as when i first started i had an excuse to be daft, now i find nothing is sinking in, is this called some exotic disease or just old age? does anyone else get like this or is it me.....MOE!