Losing your genealogy to some sort of disaster (computer crash, fire, flood, etc) is devasting. It is important to put preventative measures into place NOW - because your genealogy could be wiped out at any minute.
That is why I signed up for Mozy. Mozy is a free backup service that downloads onto your computer, and then backups the files of your choosing onto an online server. I currently use the free version, which provides 2GB of space (but there are paid versions that offer a lot more space). Since I only backup my genealogy related files (and a select few other files that are important to me), I don't go over the 2GB of space. I have set my Mozy to backup my files whenever my computer is idle for 30 minutes. Having my files backup on a regular basis help give me peace of mind.
I also use a flash drive to save my genealogy files, and also keep them portable. If I need to leave quickly - I can just stick the tiny flash drive into my pocket. Plus - it makes my genealogy portable, and I can easily show pictures, reports, and files to my family members without having to bring my computer along.
When it comes to my physical genealogy and family history related materials, I am in a bit more trouble. If I had to leave my house in a disaster, it would be difficult to take all of my geeI have all of my genealogy and family history stuff in boxes right now...and it would definitely take me a few trips to put all of the boxes into the car. These originals are priceless to me, and even if I had a picture/scan of each thing (which I am working on), it wouldn't be the same.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I've Been Nominated For The "Kreative Blogger Award"
Wow - a TON of wonderful people have just nominated me for the Kreative Blogger Award! Thank you so incredibly much!
I know the rules say that I am supposed to tag 5 people...but most of the blogs that I read on a regular basis have already been tagged! So...I am not going to tag anyone (oh well!).
Thanks again everyone!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
GenealogyBank Adds New Features (Quick Tip)
I highly suggest that you head over to GenealogyBank.com to check out some of their new features (like searching multiple states and cities). These are some long overdue features - and I really think that it will make searching a lot easier on their site.
I would love to hear what you guys think!
I would love to hear what you guys think!
A Love Story Told On Napkins
As I was going through my grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary Album the other night, my mom and I got to talking about them. She told me the stories she's heard from when they first began dating.
My grandparents both lived in Seattle in the late 1920s and early 1930s. My grandparents met through the catholic church that they both attended.
Margaret Harney (my grandmother) was nearly ten years younger than Max Doerflinger (my grandfather), but that didn't stop Max from trying to get her to go on a date with him. After a few months of resisting, Margaret finally agreed to one date. She was 16 and he was 24.
However, one date quickly turned into two, then three, and soon, Margaret found herself out with Max nearly every weekend. He would take her to underground clubs (which they called speak-easies) every weekend so that they could dance.
But the courtship turned to more intensity as Max began falling more in love with Margaret. He began writing her love poems on the napkins during dinner at the clubs. He began bringing her flowers and new ribbons for her "gorgious blonde curls".
She saved every single napkin that he wrote on and saved every ribbon he ever bought her. She even pressed the flowers he gave her in a book and kept all of this stuff in a medium sized box with two bronze doves kissing eachother, which he made.
After my grandparents died, the box was given to my aunt, Diane. Unfortunately, no one knew that Diane would soon be diagnosed with schizophrenia...and now the napkins are gone.
So while I've never seen these napkins, I know about the love that my grandparents shared during their "honeymoon stage".
My grandparents both lived in Seattle in the late 1920s and early 1930s. My grandparents met through the catholic church that they both attended.
Margaret Harney (my grandmother) was nearly ten years younger than Max Doerflinger (my grandfather), but that didn't stop Max from trying to get her to go on a date with him. After a few months of resisting, Margaret finally agreed to one date. She was 16 and he was 24.
However, one date quickly turned into two, then three, and soon, Margaret found herself out with Max nearly every weekend. He would take her to underground clubs (which they called speak-easies) every weekend so that they could dance.
But the courtship turned to more intensity as Max began falling more in love with Margaret. He began writing her love poems on the napkins during dinner at the clubs. He began bringing her flowers and new ribbons for her "gorgious blonde curls".
She saved every single napkin that he wrote on and saved every ribbon he ever bought her. She even pressed the flowers he gave her in a book and kept all of this stuff in a medium sized box with two bronze doves kissing eachother, which he made.
After my grandparents died, the box was given to my aunt, Diane. Unfortunately, no one knew that Diane would soon be diagnosed with schizophrenia...and now the napkins are gone.
So while I've never seen these napkins, I know about the love that my grandparents shared during their "honeymoon stage".
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Making Progress On Organization
My switch to binders has been going pretty well thus far. I've been following DearMyrtle's Organization Checklists (I'm moving a bit slower than the checklists say, but still) and I've made some pretty heavy progress.
First thing I did was buy a ton of acid free page protectors. Then I put all of my notes and papers into the page protectors. That way, it just needed sorting and to be put into the appropriate binder.
Anything that was from my non-sourced days was placed into a regular, cheap page protector and a stickynote with the word "Guide Only" placed on it.
I also bought oversized divider tabs so that every surname can have its own divider. Right now, I use two dividers per surname: one for all of my direct line ancestors with that surname and one for all of my indirect ancestors.
I am about half way done with having everything in their binders, but I ran out of binders and page protectors (Wow - way quicker than I expected). I'll have to wait until Thursday to get some more supplies and continue on.
I have been going through each page to make sure that everything is in my Legacy program and completely sourced. It feels good to know that I am getting up to date on everything.
By the way, you can buy all of the supplies you need in my genealogy store for organization, research, and things that will make life easier when doing genealogy.
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