Carnival of Genealogy: New Year’s Resolutions!

Ahem. (Taps champagne glass with spoon.)
Resolved for the year 2010:

To be a better genealogy citizen by donating to or volunteering for a group whose projects have illuminated dark corners of my research.
Having just completed some intense volunteering of the school and PTA sort, I learned to loathe the phrase: “I don’t know how you do it.” Really? It’s such a mystery? Maybe the secret is just … um, DOING something. And it is high time for me to apply this principle to genealogy groups whose work I follow. I’m sure they don’t like hearing “I don’t know how you do it” any more than I do.

To talk (again) to my relatives whose memories go back the farthest. Just in case.
I’ll be frank. This can be hard. I know there are many of you with relatives who love to talk. I haven’t always encountered this. My own mother, whom I loved dearly, definitely belonged to the “What do you need to know that for?” club. Often our desire to know must be balanced with a desire to avoid being a pest. Still, we must try, particularly in the cases of family members who are getting on in years. One thing I noticed about my mom was that while she was very uncomfortable answering direct questions about her past, she had no problem answering questions about family papers – her mother’s immigration affidavit, her father’s citizenship papers, a long-ago mortgage or lease. I listened and took notes that are pure gold for me, 12 years later. Maybe this approach will help me with some other folks, too.

To go through my computer genealogy program and make sure all the reference notes are attached to all the right places.
Another shaming moment here. When I first got Reunion for my Macintosh about 100 years ago, I was like a child with a new toy. The trouble is, I never really progressed beyond that childhood stage of throwing stuff at the wall (or in this case, the Notes field) and admiring the view. Therefore, I am nowhere near exploiting the many ways of organizing and collating data that this program offers. I hereby resolve to read the manual in 2010.

To make that signature family tree I’ve been meaning to make for about five years now.
I’ve been in love with this idea since I first read about it in one of Emily Croom’s books. I’ve even collected the signatures. So why not complete the project in time for, say, Thanksgiving? Maybe this will be the year …

To maximize my chances of keeping my resolutions by keeping this list short.
(Hey, I can check one off already!)

So that’s my (short) list! Can’t wait to see what everyone else will be accomplishing. May the New Year prove happy, healthy and rewarding to us all.

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