I'm an Accredited Genealogist®!

I'm an Accredited Genealogist®!

See my ICAPGen profile by clicking here.

For those few loyal readers who have been following my blog closely for a couple of years, you will know that I set a goal way back in 2012 to get my AG® credential.

It did not work out that year, as I let other goals and my intimidation of doing such a big project block me from it at the time. I did accomplish some other huge genealogy goals back then.

In 2014 my genealogy employers got behind the idea that I should have the credential. That did a lot to motivate me!

If any of you are struggling in the same manner as I was or have questions about the credentialing process with the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists, please feel free to find me on social media or comment to this post.

By the way, my accreditation region is the Mid-Atlantic US. I chose it because that is the region where I did the most research for the first ten years of my life as a genealogy lover. I do research in other places more often these days. 

Note: I am not accepting clients, but I do like to network/educate.

Brainstorming my 2014 goals

Over the last few amounts of time, inside the corners of my mind, I've been pondering what directions to go, when to start, and how to know. It strikes me just now that a narrative would do, to write my thoughts out for review. And so I start...

This year should I wait until after RootsTech, when I've have time to get more inspiration, to put my goals into writing. Or rather, shall I write them now? What are some of my ideas?

Well, I've got to make some serious progress on Spanish. I've got to make some serious progress at work with all the things I do for business and research. I'm looking toward the future for my wife and I. I want to buckle down more seriously about genealogy credentials. I've set the goal before, but never gotten any genealogy-specific credentials. I'm interested in it for myself and my own learning, but now I've got to be more serious about supporting my family so credentials mean more job security for us.

I've got to take care of my body. I haven't been exercising enough. I know I like to walk and jogging makes me feel good. I've even got an inside elliptical machine that I play on sometimes, but need to be more consistent. I need to be more consistent in my private prayers and reading scriptures, meditating on the word. I always feel better when I do all those things with full purpose and meaning. Even when I'm not consistent God blesses our family infinitely. The prayer and reading is so that I have a closer connection with him, and let me tell you, it works!

I've had a lot of success in recent years with extending direct genealogical lines on my own ancestry, but I wonder if I should change that goal now. Rather than make a goal to extend lines, might I set a certain number of ancestors who I want to add (with documentation) to my tree this year (for example: descendency research)?

I've also been thinking about something my oldest brother told me a few months ago. He said I should start to give genealogical lectures. I've been teaching small groups of 1, 5, or 25 for years on and off, but never gave lectures to larger groups. I've given a speech to a group of perhaps 100. This past year I had the chance to teach small classes at a local LDS stake workshop, and help organize a family history fair that is happening sometime this year. Working on arranging speakers for the fair, and knowing others who speak at larger conferences, has given me more confidence to perhaps apply next time that a conference I will be attending is looking for speakers.

I've also been more interested in DNA towards the end of 2013. I read a lot more blog posts about it than before, and purchased tests for several relatives. Some of the tests will not be processed until February, but when they are finished I will review the results. I've also had a few professionals who thought that is what I study. When you tell someone you're a "genealogist" for a career, they sometimes think you mean DNA. That made me want to know more about DNA, in the context of genealogy of course. Perhaps someday I will know enough about genetic genealogy to speak on it in a small setting. I think I'll leave it to current experts to speak on that at larger conferences.

As far as education, I've been thinking about something a little different. I've been wanting a masters degree for awhile, but instead of going straight into that I am considering doing an associates in genealogy this year (even though I have a BSc in History already).

So these are some of my thoughts about goals this year. I think I'll wait a little more before making the list of goals to hold myself accountable to.

Report on my 2013 genealogy goals

In 2013 I had some great successes. I also struggled a little in setting realistic goals, that I would follow-through on. If this was a test, I'd have a B+ for last year's genealogy goals. Unless you accept extra credit... 

Prior updates:

My 2013 goals update: Q3

My 2013 goals update: Q2

My 2013 Genealogy Resolutions and Goals

 

Personal Tree Research: A
✓ Find 10 or more end-of-line extensions

1. Frederick Bewig (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1678
2. Henrietta Ehlers (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1748
3. Johannes Schneider (b.1754) ancestors through ~1610
4. Christina Adler (daughter emigrated pre-1849) ancestors through ~1660
5. Mary Reinhard (emigration pre-1854) ancestors through ~1703
6. Margaret Hahn (emigration pre-1845) ancestors through ~1726
7. Frank Dunkes (emigration pre-1851) ancestors through ~1692
8. Maria Dorothea Schimpf (b.1781) ancestors through ~1703
9. Agnes Liebbard (b.1755) ancestors through ~1700
10. Barbara Maerkl (b.1766) ancestors through ~1700
11.  Franz Xaver Doebl (b.~1767) ancestors through ~[in progress]

Personal Tree Organization and Sharing: D-

1. 35% Complete Rosetta Stone Spanish
   This goal is moving into 2014. Now that I've got some Hispanic in my family tree, I need to take learning a language more seriously. Pray for me.
2. 46% Transcribe or help share 200 items (family letters, documents etc.)
   My gauge for this goal is the number of stories I've uploaded to FamilySearch Stories.
   Count: 92
3. 100% Share photos and other media on FamilySearch Family Tree
   Photos: 1374
   Documents: 171

Career and Education: A

1. ✓ Attend RootsTech 
2. ✓ Teach a family history Sunday School 
3. ✓ Help provide feedback and stay involved in social media 
4. ✓ Continue as usual with work 

Thanks to my genealogy blogging friend Randy Seaver for his example of giving grades to annual genealogy goals. You can see one of his similar posts here: Assessing My 2012 Genealogy Goals and Objectives

My 2013 goals update: Q3

Personal Tree Research
Find 10 or more end-of-line extensions

1. Frederick Bewig (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1678
2. Henrietta Ehlers (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1748
3. Johannes Schneider (b.1754) ancestors through ~1610
4. Christina Adler (daughter emigrated pre-1849) ancestors through ~1660
5. Mary Reinhard (emigration pre-1854) ancestors through ~1703
6. Margaret Hahn (emigration pre-1845) ancestors through ~1726
7. Frank Dunkes (emigration pre-1851) ancestors through ~1692
8. Maria Dorothea Schimpf (b.1781) ancestors through ~1703
9. Agnes Liebbard (b.1755) ancestors through ~1700
10. Barbara Maerkl (b.1766) ancestors through ~1700
11.  Franz Xaver Doebl (b.~1767) ancestors through ~[in progress]

Personal Tree Organization and Sharing

1. Complete Rosetta Stone Spanish
   Much slower progress than desired
2. Transcribe or help share 200 pages (family letters, documents etc.)
   I decided to use a simpler guage for this goal, it is the number of stories I have uploaded to https://familysearch.org/photos/stories under my FamilySearch account.
   Count: 70
3. ✓ Share photos and other media on FamilySearch Family Tree

Career and Education

1. ✓ Attend RootsTech 
2. ✓ Teach a family history Sunday School 
3. ✓ Help provide feedback and stay involved in social media 
4. ✓ Continue as usual with work

My 2013 goals update

Personal Tree Research
Find 10 or more end-of-line extensions

1. Frederick Bewig (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1678
2. Henrietta Ehlers (emigration 1853) ancestors through ~1748
3. Johannes Schneider (b.1754) ancestors through ~1610
4. Christina Adler (daughter emigrated pre-1849) ancestors through ~1660
5. Mary Reinhard (emigration pre-1854) ancestors through ~1703
6. Margaret Hahn (emigration pre-1845) ancestors through ~1726
7. Frank Dunkes (emigration pre-1851) ancestors through ~1692

Personal Tree Organization and Sharing

1. Learn Spanish
   I explored lots of programs before settling on a goal to complete the 5 levels of Rosetta Stone. I am on level 2, but still would like to complete the program by the end of the year if possible. While my own ancestry is not Hispanic, I can see I will have the opportunity to serve others in this area.
2. Transcribe or help share 200 pages (family letters, documents etc.)
   This one is low priority, but worthwhile.
   I have about 20 letters/documents in two collections:
   Palmer B. Holdridge Civil War Letters
   Transcriptions of family letters
3. ✓ Share photos and other media on FamilySearch Family Tree

Career and Education

1. ✓ Attend RootsTech 
2. ✓ Teach a family history Sunday School 
3. ✓ Help provide feedback and stay involved in social media 
4. ✓ Continue as usual with work 

A Fan Chart Idea: My ancestors colored by year discovered

Not long ago I got the idea to color a fan chart by the year that our family discovered each of our direct ancestors. I got this printed for free by GenealogyWallCharts at RootsTech and decided it was time to do some coloring.

Red: 1999-2003 (starting, what we got from family)
Black: 2004
Yellow: 2005
Blue: ~2008
Brown: 2010
Purple: 2011
Orange: 2012
Green: 2013

I used some memory, dates on scanned documents, and upload dates to help narrow down when each ancestor within 9 generations was found. It might not be the right year on a few because I didn't want to spend too much time, but it gives a good general idea.

I thought this chart would be encouraging as well as do the usual job of reminding me what lines I should work on next. This way I can quickly see that success has been a process over the past several years. It reminds me that I should keep at it, and it takes time. It reminds me of the times that each name was found and the good memories surrounding it. Some few of these people have not been sourced beyond doubt, but most have.

After doing genealogy for more than 10 years, I am often surprised that the miracles just keep happening. Seeking our ancestors with patience and faith continues to lead to many miracles.

My 2013 Genealogy Resolutions and Goals

Well hello everybody! I have put off setting these goals and given them some thought over the past month. I've had to let my experience from last year sink in and re-evaluate based on my different life situation this year.

Here it goes:

Personal Tree Research
Find 10 or more end-of-line extensions

• Already found this year

1. Frederick Bewig's parents
2. Henrietta Ehler's parents
3. Several extensions of the Schneider line in Heuchelheim

• Working on

1. Frank Dunkes - waiting for reply email 2 Feb 2013, church
2. Maria Anna Wipf - waiting for reply email 2 Feb 2013, church
3. Thomas Schilling and Margaret Hahn - waiting for reply email 2 Feb 2013, Lutheran archives
4. Marie D. Schimpf - waiting for reply email 2 Feb 2013, church
5. more Bewigs - waiting for reply email 1 Feb 2013, state archives
6. more Ehlers - waiting for reply email 1 Feb 2013, state archives
7. feeling to extend McCormick and Whitehurst lines. No proof sources as of yet.

Personal Tree Organization and Sharing

1. Learn Spanish
2. Transcribe or help share 200 pages (family letters, documents etc.)
3. Share photos and other media on FamilySearch Family Tree

Career and Education

1. Attend RootsTech
2. Teach a family history Sunday School
3. Help provide feedback and stay involved in social media
4. Continue as usual with work

Reflections on my 2012 genealogy goals

I've broken my 2012 goals into 4 categories for reflection: Organization and Sharing, Research, Career and Education, and Real Life and Relationships. I completed 3 of 6 goals--and if you count the addition of the 4th category then 4 of 7. My goal progress was balanced well across all categories. I hope to make a list for 2013 soon. What are/were your goals?

Update: After writing this, I noticed it was my 100th post. That is a fun accomplishment that came as a surprise. I'd categorize the blog under Teaching and Sharing I think--a category I did not include.

Organization and Sharing

1. Name 10% of my 25,000+ genealogy files ☑

I reached my goal through a combination of Tidy Up for MAC and organizational naming. Using Tidy Up, I was able to identify the duplicate images in file and delete them in a matter of minutes. That task was something that I expected to take many hours before finding that software.
Although I added several more files to my genealogy file, I ended up with less than 21,000.

I also switched from using a 64GB USB drive to using Dropbox as my primary backup and portability solution. FamilySearch (here) and Eastman's Online Genealogy Blog (here, but I am having trouble with the link) give good reviews of this service as it might relate to genealogy. Having all my files synced instantly makes my organizational naming project possible to do from any place with an Internet connection too.

2. Transcribe 200 pages of family letters ☐

This is something that I didn't focus on at all in 2012, but will likely move to my 2013 list as a worthwhile goal.

Research

3. Go back at least one additional generation on 5 distinct end-of-line ancestors ☑

This goal was completed first, within 3 months. Those first 3 months of 2012 seemed almost made for this. I had extra time and spent a few days a week a few times in the Family History Library.

Career and Education

4. Excel in a new full-time genealogy related career ☑

From March to June I had a 3 month internship with FamilySearch--it was a dream come true. For the past 3 months I have been working in my 'new full-time genealogy related career' at HEREDIUM Probate Research LLC.

5. Become an AG through ICAPGen ☐

This goal is surely worth the effort, but I set it aside to focus on more immediate goals  4 and 7. Especially 7, as I could have focused a little less on my college town social life earlier this year. :)

6. Begin a Masters program in genealogy ☐

This goal is surely worth the effort, but I set it aside to focus on more immediate goals  4 and 7. This program started in October right when my new career was demanding extra focus to get things rolling. I am considering moving this to 2013, though other life goals are competing for attention.

Real Life and Relationships

[7.] I married the woman of my dreams. We spent part of our honeymoon trip in Mexico visiting her family members, asking questions, visiting family lots in cemeteries, and gathering old family photos. Besides that, we've been working on her tree. A long lost cousin got in touch with us and added some more information. We ran into another one of her relatives while on a religious trip to the Hermosillo temple. Before all that, while we were still dating I was able to help her find her great grandfather's baptism record with his grandparents' names. Of course, I had a lot of other real life successes that I haven't been able to connect to genealogy yet.

Family History Resolutions | Quarterly Report 3

In January, I wrote six 2012 Family History Resolutions.

1st Quarterly Report: I posted about completing goal #3 "Go back at least one additional generation/individual on 5 distinct end-of-line ancestors."

2nd Quarterly Report: I revealed a secret 7th resolution which trumped all the rest. Or in other words, I was too busy dating my soon-to-be wife to accomplish much else.

3rd Quarterly Report
In this report I will focus on goal #4 "Excel in a new full-time genealogy related career."

This year has wielded a whirlwind of genealogical and technological change. It has also been a year of change in my humble life. I completed an internship with FamilySearch from March-June. While dating my wife, having fun in a college town, doing my own (and friends) genealogy, and praying for work opportunities I was one day offered information from a good friend about a job opening in Chicago. At first I wasn't sure moving was very realistic, but long story short, I am now in-process of a delightfully genealogical career. I started officially this month.

Family History Resolutions | Quarterly Report 2

In January, I wrote six 2012 Family History Resolutions.

By March I posted the completion of one, and made notable progress on another.

One thing I neglected to mention in earlier posts... I really was thinking of seven resolutions. This post will address the secret seventh resolution.

Family history (genealogy) is often thought of as the study of one's ancestors. I believe that family history encompasses much more than that. Family history is gathering, preserving, and sharing your family's story as well as their lineage. Family history is a fluid study and way of life that evolves with every individual, family, and generation. Family history is a perspective that allows us enthusiasts to see life as a chain running forever in both directions. After a little research into the past it can be easy to see that we are not that different from our ancestors, that they passed much of their lives on to us, and we will in turn pass what we have on to our descendents. With a little thought it is possible to get a deeper understanding of how we are all literally sons and daughters of one loving God through Adam and Eve, our first parents. This deep level of understanding requires the combination of scripture study and family history research. In the Bible, the prophet Malachi teaches us that another prophet (Elijah) "shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:6)." There are countless scriptures that help to deepen this understanding.

Genesis 2:24 is the scripture that comes to mind when I think of my 7th resolution, an important part of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children.

Since my last Quarterly Report in March I have become engaged, the most important family history resolution or family history related goal that I had in mind at the time I wrote my 6 resolutions. It isn't one of those goals that everyone feels comfortable writing down because so much of it depends on the timing of finding the right person. It is also a sacred process that involves carefully building a relationship between two people. Becoming engaged involves as much hard work and research (dating) as any other family history resolution. And the really great thing *laughs* is that I didn't have to give up family history at any point during the process. I simply focused more on building a relationship than discovering another relationship. Building or discovering, both are the work of family history--both are the work of the Lord.

Family History Resolutions Quarterly Report

At the beginning of the year I set six family history resolutions.

I'm delighted to report that two of those 6 goals are complete!

For goal #3 I was able to extend 5 or more of my direct ancestral lines, with the help of my parents.
The following are the end-point individuals--all German immigrant ancestors--that we extended from so far this year:

1. Johann Georg Grauling b.1789 - Bleichenbach, Hessen, Germany
2. Anna Dorothea Bernges b.1790 - Selters, Hessen, Germany
3. Christina Pabst b.1826 - Bobenhausen II, Hessen, Germany
4. Johann Conrad Schumann b.1808 -  Roßdorf, Hessen, Germany
5. Henry Lindemann b.1835 - near Ober Ramstadt, Hessen, Germany
6. Catherine Schuchmann b.1840 - Ober Ramstadt, Hessen, Germany

For goal #4 I was able to begin "living the dream" with an internship at FamilySearch. I'm doing what I love--helping people to have success in family history.

2012 Family History Resolutions

Every year I see many genealogy miracles. I solve multiple end-of-line problems, progress in my own skills by leaps and bounds, and contribute to the family history community in important ways.

This year I've decided to go with the trend among other GeneaBloggers and write some goals so that you--my readers--can hold me accountable, and perhaps I will accomplish a few of the goals that I usually set on the back burner.

1. Name 10% of my 25,046 ambiguous genealogy files (pictures, historic documents, scanned genealogy charts, letters etc.) using the "Surname, Given Name(s) - Title (Optional Short Description) Year" format. Example: McCormick, Michael W - Diploma 2011; Some of my files have searchable names while other files still have consecutive numbering that was assigned by digital camera data or date scanned information. While scanning is the more essential step, I hope to get the files organized before I turn 120 or the world ends in December. I'm hoping the world doesn't end.
2. Transcribe 200 pages of family letters; Many of the letters that came into our possession have never been read by anyone in my immediate family and are still in original paper form or scanned only. Transcribing will give me a good motivation to read them and will make it easier for others to Control+F (search) for data in the future.
3. Go back at least one additional generation/individual on 5 distinct end-of-line ancestors; this should be the easiest goal as I can't imagine wanting to do anything else more. 
4. Excel in a new full-time genealogy related career; While I've been working in the field since 2007, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science last month and moved to Provo to start a new career there.
5. Become an AG through ICAPGen; I'm within 70 hours of the application hour requirements--while I am well over the total hourly requirement, I lacked sufficient experience in one of the sub-regions. I'm partly through the four generation project.
6. Begin a Masters program in genealogy; I recently applied for the October 2012 postgraduate certificate program with University of Strathclyde.

Perhaps I will update you on my status quarterly and this may give me a chance to track and/or modify my goals. I'm not promising anything. Six goals is enough.