Tuesday’s Tip – #Genchat

Have you heard of #Genchat? It is a Twitter Chat that allows genealogists from around the world to collaborate. Two Friday evening’s a month you can sign onto Twitter and participate. The next #Genchat will be held on Friday, April 26. You can view the entire year’s schedule here. 

Here are the upcoming April – July chats. All chats start at 9:00 Central Standard Time. And additional details can be found on the schedule page.

• 26 Apr: Oral Histories and Interviews
• 10 May: LIVE! From the NGS Conference in Las Vegas! 
• 24 May: Utilizing Census Records
• 14 Jun: Data Analysis: Do you see what you have for all its worth?
• 28 Jun: Cemetery Projects
• 12 Jul: Your Latest Greatest Find! Share with us!
• 26 Jul: Putting Flesh on the Bones; Telling the Stories

Have you participated in #Genchat? What did you think? What great things did you learn? How has that helped you with your research and telling the story of your family?

© 2013 Sort Your Story, Sonoma, California

 

Follow Friday – Writing Posts

Have you been writing your family history? Have you thought about the various ways to write it? Check out some of these writing posts and give it a try!

Get Writing, Know Your History

The Armchair Genealogist’s A 10 Step Plan For: Getting Sources & Citations Under Control 

While you are on The Armchair Genealogist, download Lynn’s free ebook The Complete Guide to the Family History Interview

Writing Your Way to the Past’s Mashable Highlighted 2 Storytelling Apps This Week

Need a way to organize your writing? Check out Scrivener.

© 2013, Sort Your Story, Sonoma, CA

 

They Just Want the Story!

Sort Your Story creator, Lorel Kapke recently related an experience with her family to me as we discussed family stories.

She said her family members are not interested in research. She meant they don’t care about the names, dates, and places. They wanted to know THE STORY!

She asked me, ‘what do you do with data family members have acquired when they just want “the story”?’ She went on to say that when she visited her sister  and brother-in-law DABBS in the spring of 2012, she “again” mentioned her interest in viewing her brother in-law’s “family trunk” stored “somewhere” in their cabin. She understood the trunk-contained data from both his paternal and maternal sides of the family, DABBS and SCHOTS. Lorel’s brother in-law offered a copy of his Dabbs descendant data and she copied the family pedigree. He mentioned he was interested in a book written by a DABBS cousin, DABBS Family Genealogy, by Jack Autry Dabbs copyright 1986. After returning home, Lorel found this book listed on Family Search website. She decided to find a copy of this book for her family.

Have you come across family members who have some information but really don’t care about the names, dates, and places and just want to know the story? How did you proceed? Did you collect all their information to merge into your own? Did you ask about the family stories? Did you collect or scan photographs?

Please share your experience with us.

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