Friday, August 17, 2012

Follow-Up Friday - Reader Comments Highlighted, and I Find New Cousins

It's Follow-Up Friday, and my Genea-Musings readers have provided helpful and interesting comments on these posts:

1)  On Help! RootsMagic 5 Media Attachment is Confusing (16 August 2012):

*  Bruce Buzbee (developer of RootsMagic) commented:  "I'll have to experiment with the path you were taking to add the picture to an event, but here is the way I do it when I already have the picture attached to the person:

"1. Open the media album for the person.
2. Highlight the desired item.
3. Click the "Tag media" button on the right side of the screen.
4. Select the person and event to tag."


*  Jenny Lanctot said:  "Hooray for Bruce!  But, since I know he's watching, I'd like to make a request for the next upgrade: When you attach an image to a source, can you have it automatically tag to the fact that the source is for. I hate having to go into the source to see the image, or take the extra steps to make sure the image is in both places."

My comment:  I agree with Jenny - "Hooray for Bruce!"  His response was easy to understand, in a logical order, provided quickly, and it worked.  Follow-up blog post coming on how to do it.  Thanks, Bruce!


*  Barbara J. Mathews noted:  "Thank you, Randy, I needed this post. I can't understand why Ancestry won't put in the "detail" on a source you capture from them. If you go into the source to edit, then you can't save it until you yourself put in that detail. Urghh."

*  Russ Worthington said:  "As you know, I use FTM2012. I am taking this year to transform ALL of my Sources and Citations into the Template format that is in FTM2012. Any time I add a new record from Ancestry.com or any genealogy database I change the "free form" Source and Citation and put them into the Template format.

"I am more concerned with my data, as I generate Books and individual reports, and I want the Reference Notes to be in the Evidence Explained!! generally accepted format.  A few extra minutes, perhaps, but the end product is my concern."


*  Taco Goulooze commented:  "I can tell you, Randy, in FTM2012 it's still hard work. I decided against using the templates, and just fill the appropriate standard GEDCOM fields in such a way, that sources are exported (more or less) properly for use in other genealogy software."

My comments:  I totally agree with Barbara - Most of the "Detail citation" information is available in the source citation that Ancestry.com provides for a specific historical record - why can't it be put in the source citation that is created in the Ancestry Member Tree?

Russ has chosen option 3) on my list - to change the Ancestry.com created source citations to EE-quality citations using the FTM source templates.  I really admire Russ for the effort he makes to create EE-quality source citations and to use all of the features (like source templates and Reference Notes) of Family Tree Maker 2012.  He takes the time to do it to make his data, reports and books the best they can be.

Taco has chosen essentially the same path I have - to enter data into the standard GEDCOM fields (perhaps AUTHor, TITLe, PUBlisher, and PAGE (the citation detail) and avoid the specialized source template fields.  I create "Free-form" citations in RootsMagic 5 that use only the TITLe and PAGE fields for the same reason that Taco notes - so that sources are exported properly for use in other genealogy software or online family trees.


*  Debi Austen noted:  "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I found some interesting stuff on my first try. I've seen some of the funeral home records but hadn't see the coroner's records and had nothing other than a date for my ancestor. Now I know he died alone while he was sleeping, naked, in bed."

*  Christine said:  "Thanks, Randy. Didn't realize they were readily available online. I got mine from the Coroner's office directly and learned that my great uncle was likely murdered by his wife - by accidental poisoning! A wealth of information that created as many questions as answers!"

My comment:  I'm glad that someone found something useful and interesting in these records.  I've struck out three times so far trying to find records for my wife's grandfather and great-grandparents, but it was fun looking.  They are fantastic resources!


*  William Kernan commented:  "A fun genealogy challenge. Thank you for sharing it.  Here is my response:  http://historyof4families.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/genealogy-challenge-ahnentafel-roulette/"

My response:  Welcome to the SNGF world, William, and I'm glad that you enjoyed this challenge.  This is one of my recurring SNGF challenges because it always gets a good response, is easy to pursue, and may stimulate interest in the ancestor reviewed.  Check out William's excellent blog - A History of Four Families.

I got a payoff here - I added William's blog to my Google Reader so that I can read his blog posts.  Because I did this, I learned from one of William's posts that Lucille Ball was descended from Samuel and Mary (Flagg) Bigelow, as William is (9th great-grandson), and as I am (8th great-grandson).  So I found another cousin (William) and a famous distant cousin (Lucille Ball).  I loved Lucy!  My father would have been impressed too!  My brothers and cousins will be amazed!


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

1 comment:

wendy said...

OMG Randy! I guess we are distant cousins - how did I not know you were descended from a Bigelow & Flagg?! Hiya, cuz!