Sort Your Story Backup Day
When was the last time you backed up your computer files? These could be music files, work files, photographs, or genealogy files. Have you done it recently? If not, consider backing your files up today and then join the Geneabloggers community the first day of every month which is Data Backup Day! If you subscribe to the Geneabloggers blog, you will be reminded the first of every month to do this important task.
Backing up your files ensures that in the event of a computer crash or virus, fire or flood, that you have another copy of your files. Creating two copies and keeping one off-site, meaning at someone else’s home or your safety deposit box, is also a good idea.
Not only can backing up your files create a safety net in case of an emergency, but it also allows you to go to a previous version of a file in the event you change something and did not intend to save the file that way. It is also a safety net in case you delete a file from your computer and cannot retrieve it because you already emptied your trash.
So remember to schedule a time daily, weekly, or monthly to backup your data. Once you begin to create all the Sort Your Story Profiles, you will not want to lose them.
Was She Just A Homemaker?
Sort Your Story creator Lorel Kapke was talking to me about women and the census recently. She had this to say, “This brought to mind the maternal side of families…. women listed in the census as “homemakers” …. were they creating quilts (worth big money today on Antiques Road Show,) or recipes they created…enabling future generations to become famous “food network” chefs recreating their g-grandmothers recipes…. making money, how about taking care of the homestead…. from sunup to sundown… gathering herbs for remedies to help heal their children…possibly learned from the indigenous population.”
When you look at the history of the women in your family, what do you see? Only the homemaker listed in the census or much more than that? Women may have been listed as homemakers but they were, and still are today – MUCH more than that. They are…..
Business women; chefs; presidents of companies; attorneys; bankers; mothers; wives; friends; pastors; teachers; politicians; government worker; pilots; travelers; caretakers; cooks and bakers; doctors; construction workers; paramedics; police; firefighters; nurses; librarians; researchers; writers; photographers……..
The list goes on an on. How do you identify your female ancestors? WHO were they? WHAT did they do? WHEN did they do it? In a time when women weren’t doing “those” things like running a business when the majority were at home with children? What about attending the university when women were hardly ever admitted? WHY did your ancestor choose this path? WHERE was she living when she assume “this” role?
Answering these questions and looking at women as more than homemakers will open up a whole new world of story possibilities for your female ancestors. What are you waiting for? Start writing!
© 2013 Sort Your Story, Sonoma, California
Are You Sharing Your Information?
Sort Your Story creator, Lorel Kapke recently posed a question. “What genealogical information do I have stored in my Sort Your Story folders that others may find important? Have I shared my research, family stories, photos with family, friends, on-line resources?”
This is a question many of us should ask. What information do we have? Have we shared it? Where have we shared it? Have we shared the information online through resources like Ancestry.com or WikiTree? Have we written our family’s stories or even one ancestor’s story? Have you blogged about your ancestors and shared information that way?
Each of us should make an effort every week, month, or few months, to share what we know. Try to find a relative who is interested in the family history. Can’t find one? Write the stories anyway. You never know when someone will become interested or you will locate a new relative.
Are you sharing family photos, book lists, and other “research goodies?” If so, let us know what you are doing.
© 2013 Sort Your Story, Sonoma, California
Sort Your Story is at RootsTech! Booth 118
Reminder!
Be sure to stop by and see Lorel at RootsTech at Booth 118. Ask her about her upcoming Sort Your Story App!
© 2013 Sort Your Story, Sonoma, California
