It's coming together...

I have high expectation for what I want to do with my research. First, I want to document my pedigree as best as I can. I've actually been working on that aspect since I was a little girl. One of my Christmas presents was The Master Genealogist, an excellent software package for my genealogy projects, but the learning curve is quite steep, so it's been a struggle.

I knew that I wanted to post my database online and I was having trouble with miscellaneous "living" folks coming through. I finally figured out how to break my database into four parts starting with each of my grandparents, who are all dead. I still got a few "living" folks that showed up, but they were actually dead, I just hadn't entered a death date for them. Using my grandparents as starting points turned out much better.

I've started with my maternal grandmother first, since that part of my research is the smallest--less than 150 people when I started. Then I began going through my research files and entering documentation. I also found a lot of new information that I hadn't seen before. While searching for something else, I found the World War I draft registration card for my great-grandfather, written in his own hand. Going through the exercise of carefully documenting each source has been great--I've learned how I gained each fact and whether it is likely true. I've also learned that I need to work on getting my files in order! Some of the sources are filed in the wrong place.

The best thing was that I posted this infant database online. Soon I'll attach photos and digital images of documentation. This will create a place where my pedigree actually lives, not just some names and dates.