The crazyness of the end of the year, followed by the Sampson Flat bushfire in the Adelaide Hills during early January has resulted in this Inspiring Genealogy Blogs being a two month collection again.
If you’re after some great reads, I do have a bumper collection for you this month. We have everything from: evidence, research logs, digital hoarding, Facebook and genealogy, handwriting, Find A Grave memorials, interview tips and questions, date mistakes, genealogy regrets, how to start your family history and mourning paintings … just to name a few!
As I mention each time, I find that reading blog posts helps me keep up with the latest news, products as well as what’s happening in general in the world of genealogy. And if you happen to already follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and to some extent Google+, you already know that I like to share with you the interesting things I read.
10 Steps for Starting Family History
We’ve been doing family history for years, so think back to when you started. What are the 10 things you should do first? Well here’s a really cool, easy-to-follow infographic showing you these 10 steps. Read the full article …
Strategic Planning for Genealogy Societies
This post which links to a podcast, delves into the topic of societies needing to come up with a plan on how to run their society, rather than simply continue “because we’ve always done it that way”. Read the full article …
A Code of Conduct for Historians
“Historians should adhere to a rigorous code of professional practice if they are to avoid the kinds of careless mistakes that bring their professional integrity into question” says Suzannah Lipscomb. This post was on the History Today website, and while it talks about historians, it is equally applicable for genealogists to. Read the full article …
Just Say No to Digital Hoarding
Are you a hoarder? No? Well are you a digital hoarder? You may not realize you are, but you probably are. Do you save every email, every digital photo, and every ebook that you can? What if you were to turn every digital item to a physical one … how much space do you think it would take up? A shelf full, room full, or even the whole house? Think about that before clogging up your computer with “every” piece of digital data you receive. Read the full article …
Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard?
While this has nothing to do with genealogy, I still found it a very interesting read, particularly as researchers we are always reading (or should I say trying to read) old handwriting.
As sad as it is beyond writing memos and shopping lists, the art of writing seems to be largely dying. With the current generation learning to write and take notes on a computer, rather than even handwrite, the art of reading handwriting surely will be harder for them. Read the full article …
Spend the money
You’ve heard it before “spend the money, get the certificate” … but you still rely on the index as it has all the information you require (name and date). But what you don’t realise is that you’re missing out all a whole bunch of other details that the certificate is likely to contain. Judy G. Russell proves this point when comparing the difference in three versions of the same US patent. Trust me it was worth the money to get the paid version. Read the full article …
Unusual Records of Death – Mourning Paintings
This was totally new to me, Mourning Paintings aren’t anything that I’d heard of before, so I was fascinated by Sheri’s post on them. Read the full article …
The Ins and Outs of Evidence for Genealogists — Part Two: Who are we trying to convince?
As always I find James Tanner’s posts (aka Genealogy’s Star) a fascinating read. Discussing evidence, he delves into the “who are we trying to convince” question? Personally I believe you should have enough evidence to be able to convince anyone. Read the full article …
How do you record your research leads for follow up?
Sharon asked her readers how do they record their research leads, and shared the process on how she record hers! Which is impressive, to say the least! Read the full article …
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: Genealogy Regrets
Diane Haddad from the Family Tree Magazine, share with us some of her “genealogy regrets”. Those thing we could have done, would have done, and should have done. We all have them … just see what you can do to limit or eliminate future regrets. Read the full article …
12 Kinds of Organizations Genealogists Should Follow on Facebook
Facebook has truly become a tool for genealogists. But are you using it to its full advantage? Diane shares with readers the 12 types of organisations that researchers should follow on Facebook to aid them with their search. Read the full article …
5 Reasons You Should Be Writing Your Family History
Writing you own family history … you know you should. “But where do I start? Besides I’m no writer?” Many are completely overwhelmed by the size of the task. Too many times I’ve heard the words…”maybe some day.” Lynn from The Armchair Genealogist blog tells us WHY we need to get writing NOW! Read the full article …
How To Preserve Old Photos Without Losing Your Mind
Dick Eastman directs readers to an article written by Chris Cummins who writes about task of “simplifying the overwhelming process of turning old family photos into an organized, safe and searchable digital archive with tips for how to preserve the film and paper originals.” Read the full article …
Understanding Dates: Five Common Mistakes to Avoid
As researchers we LOVE dates and we need to record them. Afterall it helps us pinpoint something in a person’s life. However sometimes interpreting the date can mislead us. MyHeritage have come up with the five of the most common mistakes that can occur in interpreting dates, together with suggestions as to how these mistakes can be avoided or corrected. Read the full article …
Does this couple in Missouri own your relatives on Find a Grave, too?
Heather from the Young and Savvy Genealogists blog writes how about a stranger created a Find A Grave memorial for a close relative of hers, and the following issues that created. Read the full article …
100+ Family Interview Questions
In this post Kimberley not only gives you over 100 fabulous questions that you can use as ideas for your family interview, but also a number of useful tips of how to get prepared for it as well. Read the full article …
Why Your Digital Photos Might Die Before Your Grandkids See Them
The title of this post really says it all. It is a reality that digital photos are likely to be “lost” on an old computer or are in a format that is unreadable in the future. Certainly it won’t be like you finding an actually shoebox of old photos – sadly, I do believe those days are gone. Read the full article …
Check Marks the Source
Valerie’s post came to my attention through doing the rounds of Facebook. And it’s easy to see why. After entering details into her program, she’s now decided to verify every piece of information, and she has a very simple and effective method to do so. Read the full article …
Great list of sites and interesting articles! hopefully you’ll consider some of our blog posts for the future!
Thank you for including my blog 🙂
Ooh…so many look so good…will I ever get to work today?
Alex, I totally understand! 😉