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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: chiddicks on Friday 29 December 17 20:18 GMT (UK)

Title: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: chiddicks on Friday 29 December 17 20:18 GMT (UK)
Have you set yourself targets or goals for your family history research for 2018?


If not, now is the ideal time to review your work, review what you have already achieved and set yourself some new targets and goals for the next twelve months.

I always like the idea of goals or targets, it keeps you focused and gives you something to aim for. Having said that, there is nothing I like better than deviating off on a new venture, so although it’s good to set goals, don’t be too rigid with what you set out to achieve, allow some “wriggle room” for something that grabs your attention.

Last year when I set myself some goals for 2017, I never for one minute envisaged that I would be here writing a blog, that was never on the agenda for 2017, but here we are now, so a flexible approach can always reap you benefits.

The key thing to remember is don’t over commit yourself, there is also a life outside of family history, well I assume there is?? So don’t set yourself unrealistic targets and likewise don’t beat yourself up too much, if you don’t achieve everything on your list.

So my list for 2018 looks something like this:

I have recently completed a DNA test with Ancestry, the next step for me and on my “to do” list is, to upload my data in as many places as possible and to hopefully make contact with some “new cousins”.


Second on my list is to make a visit to a military cemetery of one of my ancestors overseas, I have two trips in mind, Gallipoli or Ypres.


Another must for me this year is to make a third trip back to Dublin, but this time with the added incentive of meeting my Dublin Daniels family for the very first time, something that I am really excited about doing.


I also hope to continue with one of my new passions, blog writing, both for Family Tree Magazine and of course my own personal blog.


The last item on my list is to knock a couple of brick walls down, which is the ambition of all budding genealogists!


What's your Genealogy goals for 2018? https://chiddicksfamilytree.wordpress.com/2017/12/29/whats-your-genealogy-goals-for-2018/ via @chiddickstree


Good Luck with your Family Tree research for 2018!



Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: panda40 on Friday 29 December 17 20:32 GMT (UK)
A good idea, mine is to knock down some of the brick walls that still exist in my tree but the people just keep making it more difficult to identify the correct person so I can move back another generation.
The next one is to be more organised in my research and not flit from one tree to another. I’m also tidying the photos and paper records I have.
Finally I would like to get some photos of graves if they still exist.
Good luck in your research in 2018
Panda
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: CelticAnnie on Friday 29 December 17 21:13 GMT (UK)
After spending ten years researching -- and being aware that I'm not getting any younger! -- my aim for 2018 is to finish the first of the four books I intend to write about my own family tree lines, organize all the appendices, sources and illustrations for it, get it printed (just half a dozen copies for family) and then get well stuck into the second book!

I cannot emphasize enough just how useful setting down my family tree in a detailed chronological account has proved to be in highlighting anomalies I'd previously not registered -- eg one ancestor living in the wrong place given the work I'd thought he was engaged in at the time -- and in encouraging me to learn more about locations where ancestors were living, in the case of individuals I know only from BMDs and censuses and needed some 'colour' for.  It has also been very useful to pull together absolutely everything I know about various individuals in one place.  Anyway, I would highly recommend this process to any family historian.

Good luck to all with your research and recording through 2018, whatever you are doing.

CELTICANNIE   
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: Familysearch on Saturday 30 December 17 10:15 GMT (UK)
First: Having broken down a brick wall in 2017 - that is the finding of a relative whose whereabouts was unknown to even his siblings, I am now trying to solve another problem.

I have already ordered as many certificates as I can trace, but the men are both elusive. I hope that my fellow Rootchatters may be able to point me in a direction I have not thought of.

My posting is here http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=784662.0

Second:  I have a considerable amount of research notes, and I am sure they have been duplicated over the years.  So, another goal would be to get things in better order, and clear out extra paperwork that is no longer of use.

Third: Maybe spend some time updating information as new records become available online.  My foray into the 1939 register was the start - and because of that and some very useful help from Rootschatters, the first brick wall came tumbling down! (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=783018.0)

A successful year to all you  family history searchers!

FS

Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: chiddicks on Sunday 31 December 17 21:18 GMT (UK)
It'a good time to re-evaluate what you have already achieved plus set out some new targets for the future. I always seem to add more to my list than I ever knock off!!
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: sleepybarb on Monday 01 January 18 08:09 GMT (UK)
Having found a lot of the Rowe Mitchell family of my husband in 2017; I really want to sort out my Mum’s side and track down my Grandfathers birth. A trip to Montreal is due to find Grandparents going in to Canada and maybe where they were for the two years they were there.
 Barb
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: radstockjeff on Monday 01 January 18 09:29 GMT (UK)
I've almost (not quite) got to the stage of sitting back and waiting for something to turn up on the brick wall front.
This year it did just that.
I was trawling through another site where some years ago I had posted a tale of an almost unscalable brick wall and there was a response which filled another gap, although that brick wall is still there, gradually being demolished.
The remarkable thing was that the person responding, another unknown cousin for my wife, now lives in Australia and when we over there earlier in the year we had almost passed her door on our journey from NSW down to Melbourne!    :)
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: coombs on Monday 01 January 18 17:12 GMT (UK)
Having got back further on my Susan Riches, born 1694 in Norwich, and tracing her parents to North Norfolk, Barney and Gunthorpe - my next aim in 2018 is to try and get back on the Harbord and Budery lines of Norfolk.

Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: chiddicks on Sunday 07 January 18 21:06 GMT (UK)
I forgot to add to my goals list start a chiddicks one name study!
Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: dowdstree on Sunday 07 January 18 21:20 GMT (UK)
Well 2017 will be a hard year to beat for me. I met up with cousins from both sides of my family and managed to knock down some brick walls with the information we exchanged and a lot of hard work on my part. The last piece of information came in a Christmas Card giving me the married surname of a great aunt who had been rather elusive. I have now been able to find her marriage and death record.

In 2018 I will try to put all my information and paper trail in order and into my family tree.

Maybe even knock down my remaining brick walls.

Whatever we all do I know we will enjoy the challenge. :) :)

Dorrie

Title: Re: Family History Goals for 2018
Post by: Mowsehowse on Sunday 07 January 18 22:44 GMT (UK)
After spending ten years researching -- and being aware that I'm not getting any younger! -- my aim for 2018 is to finish the first of the four books I intend to write about my own family tree lines, organize all the appendices, sources and illustrations for it, get it printed (just half a dozen copies for family) and then get well stuck into the second book!  CELTICANNIE

CelticAnnie, I think I need to print this out and stick it on my fridge door!
I'm only aiming to put together one scrapbook type family history for my grandchildren, a sort of photobook form.  Not so difficult I felt, but it seems that page one is the hardest! 
That is my goal for 2018.