My New Whiteboard

I just bought a white board. Why? Because I need to keep track of what I want to do. I used to make a list of Things To Do but those lists got lost in the piles of paper in my office. Now I have a white board on the wall. The best part is I can erase and add. Love it.

I am getting up in years so I have a lot of things I need to do before I log out of my computer for the last time. Goals. I am sure many of my goals are similar to yours. Maybe you have more time than I do to accomplish these goals. On the other hand I might live to be 110.

So let's look at what I want to do and keep in mind that you might want to do the same.

Lineage Societies: Ok, I know I am eligible for many lineage societies. Number one goal for me this year. It's not that difficult and don't listen to anyone who tells you that it is. Most groups are more than willing to help you prove your ancestry. They have data bases you can access. Apply and don't be afraid to ask for help. I need to take my own advise here.

Conferences. Attend at least one conference a year if you can afford it. I know it can be expensive but it is so worth it. Even if you go for just one day, the education factor in today's genealogical world is worth it. Ask for birthday, Christmas, Mothers/Fathers Day presents.  Have a garage sale! We all need to declutter.

Education. (See above.) Workshops. Seminars. Local lectures. This is so important. There is so much out there online. And let's not forget DNA is a tool to be used in family research, but you need to know the limitations of this tool.

Join. Genealogists have always needed to connect with each other. This is how you find family members and share memories of local events and places. It also gives you a chance to give back to your local community by volunteering and serving as an officer of a genealogical or historical society.

Visit. Of course, you know I am going to include this because I always stress the value of "walking the land your ancestors walked". You need to take a road trip to the place your ancestors lived.

 

Hit the Brakes! Slow Down! Time For Me!!

Here it is almost the end of October already. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then a New Year. Where did 2015 go? It just went flying by. Ladies' group met tonight! The discussion was all about how much we hurry through life and how much we miss. Everyone agreed that the years when our kids were growing up was the most rushed. We also decided that we probably didn't know what we missed. School activities, football games, chauffeuring kids to the mall, sport practices, band practice. Scurrying here, rushing there. No time to stop and smell the roses.

That is how I feel after this year. Tons of genealogy related activities! The keyword here is "related." Chairman of the Board for a year is about to come to an end. Board meetings, chapter meetings, online meetings, decisions, decisions, decisions!

A new charter chapter of the US Daughters of 1812 was created. Joined a local historical society. Attended a seminar on chapter management. Stepped outside of my comfort zone more than a few times. Lots of work, but worth every minute.

It has been a fun year, but it is time to get back to working on my own family research. Only a couple of months til the deadline for applications to OGS lineage societies. 

The Ohio Genealogical Society has a number of lineage societies for their members. They include First Families of Ohio, Century Families of Ohio, Settlers and Builders of Ohio, and Civil War Families of Ohio. Induction of new members takes place at banquets for each group at the annual conference. For more information about this see ogs.org

This year's conference will be held 28-30 April 2016, at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio. I had better get started. I have a lot of work to do.