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Showing posts from September, 2018

Planning for Genealogy Retirement - Video Recap

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It seems hard to believe, but not everyone will be able to do genealogy until they take their last breath. It’s important that we start planning for our genealogy retirement and ask ourselves, what are we going to do with our research when we’re done or no longer able to be involved? The hardest part of genealogy retirement is realizing that you need to tie up as many loose ends as you can without starting a new project. The second hardest is to realize not everyone wants what you have collected. You have to prioritize what is most valuable to preserve when you’re gone. Make the hard decisions and your research will have a better chance of survival. In this video, I'm covering the following topics and I've added additional links for your use. Organize Your Research Three things that you should do to get your files organized for passing them along to your progenitors are:  Put everything in its place with a label Go digital Discard easily accessible files Reducing, labeling, and

If your family history is all done, then become a genealogy volunteer!

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Family history is a vast subject that includes digitizing photos, documents, and possessions. It includes writing stories and making videos. It also involves finding new family members. Despite the plethora of tasks someone can do to capture, preserve, climb their family tree, folks will say, "My genealogy is all done." If that is the case, then please help someone else with their genealogy. Let me share a few ideas. 1. Volunteer Gravestone Photographer Take photos of the grave markers at cemeteries near your home, or within an easy driving distance. In a previous post, I asked, " Does Little Gay Gean Matter? "  For your research purposes, she may not. However, she does matter to someone else. One way you can help that other person find the information they need on this relative is to take photos of the stones nearby. Then share the photos online at   FindAGrave.com  or  BillionGraves.com . If you visit or live in Canada, you can share your photos on  CanadianHeads

Over 30 Words to Describe Your Ancestor's Physique

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Tall, dark and handsome. Is there any other character description more cliche than that, even if it's true? Your ancestor might have been marked on military draft cards or passports as Stout and Medium for this build and height. What can you do with these descriptions, combined with photos, to describe your ancestors to your relatives? Take time to look at a photo, if you have it, and see if any of the following words fit your ancestor's physique. 30 Words to help you describe your ancestor's facial features  #genealogy #writingtips PHYSIQUE Petite Compact Burly Beefy Brawny Barrel-chested Heavy-set Obese Pudgy Pot-Bellied Portly Stout Lush Wiry Sinewy Hulking Herculean Narrow-waisted Full-figured Ample Rounded Voluptuous Curvy Hourglass Plump Gangling Lanky Willowy Lithe Slender Gaunt Stocky Strapping Chiseled Broad-shouldered Bowlegged Some of the descriptions you might use might make you blush a little. Do you wonder if you're writing a family history or a romance no

Over 80 Words to Describe Your Ancestor's Facial Features

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How would you describe someone to another person who has never met them? Sure you can define their character and positive traits. It would be better to describe their facial features so the second person can locate the first person in a crowd. When it comes to describing our ancestors, we need to use words that will help our family pick out their ancestor in photos or in a list of names that might mean little without mental images based on physical descriptions. When describing facial features, start with the easiest to describe first - eye color. Whenever possible, don't settle for dull words like blue and brown. Be more specific. Eye Color Coal Ebony Obsidian Aquamarine Baby Blue Cornflower Crystal Gun-Metal Chestnut Dirt/Mud Topaz Charcoal Graphite Silver Bottle Green Emerald Jade Hazel Violet Ultramarine Once you've described the eye color, provide details about the eye shape. This can be challenging but give it a go. Eye Shape Almond-shaped Squinty Bulging Heavy-lidded Hoo