Friday, December 28, 2007

Resolutions -- How did I do in 2007?

My genealogy resolutions for 2007 were posted here, and included:

1) Go to the Family History Center more often, and obtain primary land and probate records for my ancestors.

Grade: D. I mostly failed! I think I went perhaps as many as 10 times to the FHC. I did order films of church records for my Bresee ancestry research, but didn't obtain land and probate records for ancestors other than in #2 below.

2) Complete the probate records collection for my ancestors of Alma Bessie Richmond.

Grade: C. Partial success! I ordered microfilms, copied about 20 probate records, and transcribed most of them into my database. But I didn't complete the task by any means. There are still some Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts probates to find and obtain.

3) Determine if any of my San Diego County ancestors left probate and land records, and obtain copies of them.

Grade: F. Failure. all I did was figure out where the Probate Court archives might be.

4) Continue adding complete source citations to my ancestral and Seaver surname databases.

Grade: C. Small success: I added some source citations, and edited many more, but there are many, many more to complete.

5) Continue to post quality research tips, ancestral stories, and genealogy humor on this Genea-Musings blog. No more rants...unless they are deserved!

Grade: B. Mostly a success. I posted many research tips (hopefully of high quality), many ancestral stories, and some humor to Genea-Musings. However, I had a few rants, one of which almost got me sued.

6) Serve the Chula Vista Genealogical Society as President with energy, wisdom and patience.

Grade: A. A success, except for adding "new blood" to the Board. We had a very successful year with 50 meetings in the library with good attendance. Our members seem aware and enthusiastic and look forward to our events.

We added the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe blog to augment the web site - http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com. We need more members to use it.

7) Add video learning to the CVGS computer group and research group monthly meetings by using laptops and LCD projectors to demonstrate research techniques and help solve research problems.

Grade: B. A partial success. We used the projector in the computer lab, but the wireless signal in the Conference Room and auditorium is not strong enough. We are working with the library to improve the situation.

8) Prepare and deliver three new presentations at local San Diego societies in 2007.

Grade: A. A success. I prepared five new presentations in 2007 - on Genealogy blogging, Online genealogy, Ancestry.com resources, LDS resources and Rootsweb/USGenWeb resources. I gave the blogging talk to CGSSD in April and CVGS in September, and the other four at the CVGS seminar in October. I also spoke to the Questing Heirs Genealogical Society in Long Beach in May on Census research.

9) Continue reading genealogy research books, journal articles, online web pages and newsletters, etc. as part of my continuing genealogy education.

Grade: B. A partial success. I obtained and read several genealogy research books, many online resources, periodicals and journals. However, I didn't attend a national seminar or go on a cruise - next year!

10) Find something fun and useful to do with my wife, who often feels like a genealogy widow.

Grade: F. Ummm, a failure, I think. I hide in the Genea-Cave even more now than a year ago. She is excited about a genealogy cruise though.

So that's it - the Report Card shows 2 A's, 3 B's, 2 C's, 1 D and 2 F's. It averages out to a C+. My summary: I made some progress in my own research, but only some of it was "quality" in terms of primary records. My CVGS work, speaking engagements and education were beneficial to my own professional development.

However, I feel like I waste too much time - blogging, searching databases, etc. I decided to start a daily genealogy journal just to see how much time I spent doing different tasks - you can see the last two months at the Geneaholic blog. Just being aware that I am documenting my time this way has led me to avoid some time-wasting activities - like finding funny census names.

Now what can I propose for Genealogy Resolutions for 2008? Tune in over the weekend for my list.

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